


A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes:  Fallen Swan Part Two

by 02_ladyrazeli



Series: Happy Ending...Happy Beginning [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-01-07 22:56:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21225608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/02_ladyrazeli/pseuds/02_ladyrazeli
Summary: After giving birth to their girls in Cuba, Regina and Emma prepare their little family to return to Storybrooke and defeat the Blue Fairy, Hook, and King Arthur.Will their little Queen be destroyed by the Dark Magic?Will Hook gain control of the sword and dagger?  Or Will Blue? Or maybe Arthur? with each villain vying for control over the Swan/Mills family, who will come out on top?





	1. Chapter One

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: Fallen Swan Part two

By

Lady Razeli

Chapter One

**Emma and Regina’s Cuban Villa**

“Again!” King yelled at Regina. Regina obliged and struck again at King as they trained in the yard of their Cuban home. Henry and Emma sat with the girls under a shaded patio. Viveka had needed a few weeks in the hospital, but at five months was now thriving like her sister, which meant that their return to Storybrooke was imminent. King had been pushing her harder and harder in her training. “Weak show me why they call you the Evil Queen!”

“Hey, she’s not the Evil Queen,” Emma complained.

“She is to those who stand against her, and we will not disappoint,” King said. “They call you that because you hit hard, fast, and accurately. Not because you are a weak, you strike as if you don’t have children and people to protect.” Regina’s rage flared at the insult and she hit harder that time until she had knocked King to the ground for the first time since they had started this months ago.

“Yay mommy beat King!” Henry cheered.

“Take it back,” Regina said standing over her looking every inch the Queen she was.

“I take it back my Queen,” King said. Regina nodded and her face softened before she offered King her hand.

“I can’t believe you were serious about boxing without gloves,” Emma said pushing the hammock the girls were napping in.

“Gloves are for bitches,” King muttered so Henry wouldn’t hear. Emma snorted.

“King language,” Regina said as she unwrapped her hands. King took out a measuring tape and Regina rolled her eyes and submitted to the measurement. Once King had established ideal measurements for her height as well as her weight, she would work towards that and they’d go home. King wanted her at peak strength.

“Well?” Emma asked.

“Ooh very nice my Queen, you managed to lose an inch on your waist, but I am pleased that you have put on a sufficient amount of muscle mass to return home. Dark Savior if you will please.” Emma pursed her lips but stood up and Regina took her place pushing the girls gently as she smiled at them sleeping peacefully for once.

“I don’t like that title,” Emma grumbled.

“What you wanna be known as just another Dark One?” King asked. “No Dark Savior is much more fitting to be paired next to the Evil Queen, just as Savior pairs well with My Queen. This will stick, so get used to it.”

“Oh, I should have known that this was only about how this pairs with your Queen,” Emma said rolling her eyes.

“Are you complaining that I thought of something, so you fit together?” King asked raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not, you know I like it when we fit together,” Emma chuckled. “Well?”

“Well you lost the weight, but I don’t think your muscles have gotten any bigger,” King sighed. “You need to work out better.”

“I’m fine, the way I am,” Emma grumbled.

“I remind you that you have my Queen to protect, where were you when that scum came after her in her office?” King asked. Emma frowned.

“Your guards failed too,” Emma grumbled.

“We don’t have all seeing magical powers,” King told her.

“King leave her be, that was no one’s fault but Arthur’s and Hook’s,” Regina told her. King nodded.

“King check my muscles!” Henry cried. She made a show of measuring him and telling him he had bigger muscles then both of his mothers’ combined. He gave her a huge grin.

“You’re going to be so big and strong my prince,” Regina told him giving him a kiss just because she could.

“Why don’t we go for a hike, I need to patrol anyway,” Emma said. Regina nodded.

“After I feed the girls, they’ll wake up soon,” Regina agreed, Emma nodded. Sure, enough the girls woke up after they had taken them inside. Regina got settled while Henry practiced his reading with her. He loved reading in Spanish to his sisters the same way Regina read to him. So far both girls seemed very happy, and there was no sign of the magic making Rhiannon older than she was. Regina was a little afraid this would change once they were in Storybrooke again. Rhiannon however would never nurse from Emma, and Emma was convinced she did remember after all. Regina couldn’t tell her, she wasn’t connected in the way she used to be, but again so much more could change when they entered Storybrooke.

“Emma are you all right?” Regina asked interrupting Henry. Henry paused in reading with a pout, but Regina was half turned. She could sense that Emma was worried.

“No, I think he’s nearby,” Emma said just as Rhiannon became fussy and released her latch on Regina’s nipple. Emma came into the room as King stood up from where she was flipping through a magazine.

“Hook you mean?” King asked. Emma nodded. “The call of the sword is weaker out here, it must have been much harder for him to navigate it’s call. That’s why it has taken him so long. I think we should leave now.” Emma gently took Viveka from Regina and lifted Henry as well. Regina secured her bra and shirt before standing with Rhiannon. When she was upset, she would only stay with Regina, so it was no use giving her to Emma not when they needed to hurry. King grabbed a few things before locking up the house and following the small family to the boat. They had upgraded the yacht to sail back towards Maine. No one wanted to get back on a plane except Henry.

“Feels like running,” Emma grumbled.

“It’s not, but we can’t take the chance of the kids getting harmed. He is weak in comparison to you and Little Queen, let’s not forget that,” Regina reminded her. Emma nodded as she watched them get further and further away from shore. She wasn’t surprised when Hook was standing on the dock.

“SWAN!” He yelled. He shot his hand out and black lightening struck at their boat. Regina and Emma blocked it though. Together they were stronger and could manage much more than Hook out here. He tried several more times, it hit the water around them causing the boat to rock dangerously, but eventually he couldn’t throw it far enough to cause them any real problems, so he set their house on fire.

“Damn it I really like that house,” Regina grumbled. Emma kissed her head.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Emma said. “The women are too hot not to come back.” Regina shook her head and gave her a shove.

“Honey really, I thought we had established that they don’t want you, because I want you,” Regina said.

“Regina you can’t keep me to yourself, these women love me here you know. They’re always saying how pretty I am,” Emma replied.

“Aye, mira que lindo,” Regina said to King who was driving. King chuckled. To Emma she said, “You sound pretty sure of yourself for someone who doesn’t speak the language.” Emma pouted.

“What do you mean when you say that, you say that a lot to me here.”

“Nada,” Regina said waving her off as she went below deck to finish feeding the girls and Emma naturally kept watch until Henry came back up to play with her. She entertained him, but she kept an eye on the horizon, Hook didn’t get further away, but he wasn’t close either.

“Can you still sense him?” Regina asked later that night, they were both still awake and everyone else was inside the boat sleeping.

“Yes, I think he must have taken a smaller boat to follow us, it’s not fast enough to catch up, but it keeps him near.”

“Great, I was hoping we would have a large lead on him,” Regina murmured as she set up a small computer with a satellite.

“Maybe the coast guard will come after him for money,” Emma shrugged as Regina typed. “What are you doing?”

“Coordinating with Ruby and Maleficent so they know our return is eminent. The number of dwarves has gone up to twenty-five, she says they’ve almost mined every bit of fairy dust inside of Storybrooke.

“So, we just need to destroy their supply then?” Emma asked.

“Fairy dust can’t be destroyed, it can become inactive if people forget to believe, but it only takes one true believer.”

“So why don’t we make the population of Storybrooke forget that fairy dust is real, that the fairies themselves are the mythical beings in our world,” Emma said.

“Because she would come for Henry,” Regina replied.

“Oh,” Emma said. Two beats of silence passed before she spoke again. “Well then that’s not going to work out well for her.”

“No, it’s not,” Regina muttered, but then she paused and looked at Emma who was looking unusually straight ahead. Regina tilted her head to the side. “Em?”

“Hmm…baby?” Emma said.

“What’s wrong with you?” Regina asked.

“What do you mean babe, nothing is wrong,” Emma lied as she pretended to scan the horizon in the dark.

“Emma?” Regina asked crossing her arms. “Why are you being weird?”

“I am not being weird babe,” Emma replied.

“Oh yeah why won’t you suddenly look at me?” 

“Oh, you know I think Viveka is fussing, I’ll go nurse her,” Emma said. “You should take the wheel.” She didn’t wait for Regina to take the wheel and practically ran from her. Regina glared at her retreating fiancé as she quickly took over driving the boat. Emma meanwhile did do a quick check of the children before she fished out the satellite phone and dialed Ruby’s number.

“Hey, I thought we were supposed to go online together in a few minutes,” Ruby said.

“Ruby we have an emergency, you know that idea I had about the fairy dust, and everything and Mal said something about only deactivating it?”

“Yes, that was such a brilliant idea, I was actually just going to report that the dust is inactive, Blue is totally raging right now.” 

“Yeah reverse it,” Emma said.

“What, Emma we can’t do that,” Ruby said.

“Yes, you can, because it was stupid, and I just found out that she would need Henry to reactivate it. Regina is going to kill me.”

“You mean Regina doesn’t know?” Ruby asked.

“No, and you’re not going to tell her until after you reverse it and you need to reverse it before we get there. And don’t tell her you already know we’re coming. She’s going to tell you in the video ch….”

“EMMA SWAN MILLS GET UP HERE NOW!” Regina yelled. Emma groaned.

“Sorry I didn’t make it to Maleficent in time,” Ruby said. Emma bit her lip and looked upward knowing Regina was waiting for her. She took several deep breaths.

“Okay, okay, just please make sure my kids know who I was,” Emma told Ruby before hanging up. King poked her head out of her room.

“What did you now Dark Savior,” King said.

“You may as well come up, I really fucked up,” Emma said. King groaned and put some clothes on.

“You better magic me a sweet bed when we get back with fur blankets for the winter,” King grumbled.

“Honestly King, I don’t know that I will be making it back to Storybrooke with you. Before I go, I’d like to know your full name.”

“Regina,” She replied as they made their way up. Emma had a look on her face that said now she knew why she had never heard anyone call King by her first name even privately like the others.

“King come take the wheel,” Regina said when she appeared first. Emma finally came up after another few minutes making sure to kiss all three of her children one last time. Regina was standing by the computer again arms crossed and face impassive.

“When pray tell did you hatch up this plan, before we had discussed it?” Regina asked her. Emma toed the deck of the boot.

“It wasn’t really a plan, it was more I just thought we should do this, and Ruby agreed. I didn’t know they were like gonna do it though. I tried to stop them, but I was just too late.” 

“It’s true, I didn’t really tell Maleficent that you weren’t in on that idea nor was I sure it would work, so I told her not to mention it!” Ruby chimed in. “I swear I am not just covering for Emma.”

“And I didn’t know the story yet about Peter Pan and Henry or I definitely would not have made the potion,” Maleficent told her.

“From now on, no more rogue side plans, we talk about this all together!” Regina yelled at all three of them. Maleficent and Ruby jumped even though there was a screen and large land mass between them and Regina. Emma bit her lip as she jumped too. “Emma get over here, we’ll need to strategize and protection of all three children just got even higher priority.” They talked for a long while about getting them safely from the harbor to their side of town. The town line itself was heavily guarded by Arthur’s soldiers for their return.

“What if because of Hook though, they know you’ll be at the harbor,” Maleficent said.

“We’ll monitor their movements closely, if for any reason it looks like the harbor is compromised, we’ll transport to the town line just outside of it, They won’t cross, and then when their attention is on us, we will attack them from behind,” King said.

“Emma the girls are awake, can I trust you to handle that?” Regina said. She couldn’t hear them, but she sensed that at least one of them was needed.

“I will do my best with Rhiannon if she’s really upset, but otherwise yes,” Emma replied. She waved goodbye to Ruby and Maleficent before heading downstairs. Regina finished up and left King on watch while she took care of her little Queen who didn’t want to nurse from Emma at all. 

“How did he?” Emma asked right before their boat was hit hard from the side sending them all rolling. Henry woke up with a scream as he hit his head. They were trapped as water rushed into the boat. Emma and Regina struggled to keep all the children above water as there was screaming and crying.

“Emma you gotta get to the office and pull the red lever, it’s a beacon,” Regina coughed. She used her magic to ensure they had a pocket of air in the darkness.

“Mama!” Henry cried.

“It’s okay Henry, it’s okay Mommy’s got you,” Regina told him as he clung to her back. The boat shifted again so it was completely upside down. They managed to put the girls on a floating piece of furniture though.

“I can’t leave you guys though,” Emma said.

“Emma you need too, the water is getting cold, we will die from hypothermia or lack of oxygen first,” Regina said. Emma grimaced and nodded. She kissed her family and dived down. She felt around in the dark until she found a door at first, she found herself in the little closet, but then she managed to make it through the door. For Emma it was slow going as she tried to feel her way in the darkness of the water and try to remember the lay out of the boat. Meanwhile Regina was trying hard to find something to get Henry above the water further and preserve his body heat as well.

“Baby climb on the chair, you have to stay out of the water as much as possible,” Regina instructed. It took some forcing but she got him on. “It’s okay loves, Mama is going to go hit the beacon and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

“Mama hurt?” Henry asked.

“No, no sweetie, she’s not hurt, she had to swim to a different room to get the beacon. It’s like a phone that sends a signal and then the right people can come help us out of the water.

“Mommy it really dark,” Henry said.

“It is my little prince, but there will be light again soon,” Regina reassured him. She managed to stroke his head before she checked on Rhiannon and Viveka by touch. They seemed fine if not cold. She didn’t even want to think of the possibility of them not making it out alive even if she wasn’t technically sure they couldn’t still be killed after all. The only thing she knew was that she wasn’t going to chance it.

“Mommy what that?” Henry asked as a loud banging noise sounded on the haul above them.

“It must be King checking if we’re alive,” Regina said as she tried to find something to bang back, but she ended up just using her fist with a touch of magic to it. “Or maybe Mama got to the beacon and a boat was nearby come to rescue us.”

“Not quite your majesty,” Hook said as a hole magically appeared in the haul. He was squatting over it. “Bitches like you have a bad habit of underestimating me. Now I’d like the sword and your son please.”

“Over my dead body,” Regina said

“That can certainly be arranged but you are in no position to argue,” He told her with a laugh. “Now if you’d liked to be trapped for eternity on the sea floor with infants in water, or you can give me your son. He’s the only truly vulnerable one here, look at him, his lips are already blue.”

“Kill me if you think you can,” Regina said. “And you’ll never get the sword or the dagger. Emma has them both, and she’s not here.” He growled and yanked her out by grabbing her shirt.

“Then I guess we’ll just be bargaining with you won’t we,” He said.

“Mommy!” Henry screamed.

“Don’t worry lad you’ll be with your mother soon,” Hook told him as he strained to magic cuffs around Regina’s hands and threw her onto a small boat. Henry soon joined her minus the cuffs.

“Hmm which one are you?” Hook said picking up one of her daughters. She knew it was Viveka and she was screaming at the unfamiliar hands on her. “Nope you’re the useless one.” He threw her into the ocean.

“NO!” Regina screamed as she fought to get out of the cuffs, but her magic had been keeping the water at bay. She wasn’t as strong out here alone, not without Emma. Rhiannon, he pulled out just as the boat was sinking lower as the water got higher. He threw her into the boat as well and got in. Regina was going to kill him when they got to Storybrooke. Henry grabbed his sister and pressed them closer into Regina. “I will not stop until you are dead, you know that.”

“I imagine you won’t, but it won’t matter, soon you’ll be dead too, and Emma and I will rule supreme.”

“She doesn’t love you,” Regina told him.

“That’s just what she tells you, but I know that you are nothing more than a fling, and now that she thinks she’s made it up to you, I can free her. Now we have quite a long way to travel, Blue will be pleased to see you.” 

“I’m sure she will,” Regina said. She tried not to think that Viveka was dead, they had started Infant resource training earlier than most, but they knew they would take the boat, and this was the outcome, Hook could have just as easily been a storm. She had to hope that Viveka was floating and someone would pick her up. She also had to hope that she was more resilient then most babies. And she knew Emma would get out of that wreck to come after them. But she had Henry and her little Queen with her, and she had to protect them. “You know the least could do is offer the children your jacket, they’re freezing.”

“Nah,” Hook replied. Regina was just grateful the night air was warm this time of year, they had sunk enough for the cold water to quickly replace the warm surface water. 

“If you truly believe that Emma loves you, then you must know that she loves Henry, will you let him freeze. He will tell his mother.”

“I’m sure, but I doubt young Henry will live long, I don’t know or care why Blue wants him, but it will just be Emma and I to start a new family,” Hook said as he drove. Regina shook her head; she was going to murder that blue gnat. She was grateful her hands were cuffed in front of her, so that she could get both children in her arms. Her little Queen screamed the entire time and Henry was sniffling and asking where Emma and Viveka was. Regina reassured him that, they were both fine, and coming for them soon. 

“You shouldn’t lie to them,” Hook said. Regina glared at the back of his head just before her eyes went wide as a soaked King was using her daggers to keep attached to the speeding boat. He didn’t hear her get onto the boat from the roar from the engine and the water splashing by or he was faking it either way. King approached with caution, and she was right to do so as she ducked as he swiped at her with his hook. King pretended she would go for his feet prompting him to jump so that when she came up, she had jammed a dagger straight to his heart. It delivered a potent shock through him and so did the second dagger she put in his back, but not before he cut her arm with his hook, he began to pass out.

“King!” Regina exclaimed. King looked at her wrists and quickly looked for a key but found none. “No, you have to control the boat.” King slowed the boat down before she threw Hook overboard and returned towards the way they had come. They were shivering by the time they made it back to the area and had to follow slowly behind the crew that had picked up Emma or Viveka, Regina didn’t know. What she did know was the coastguard would take one look at her cuffs and attempt to find Hook if they believed it was not King who had done the kidnapping. She scanned the water though for Viveka.

“My Queen, the Savior had her, of that I am sure,” King said.

“But you didn’t see,” Regina said still looking just to be sure.

“No, but I know she made it,” King said. “I have no doubt of that.” Regina nodded, but she still looked and listened, but she only heard the crying from her Little Queen.

“Shs my little Queen we’re going to get you dry and to your Mama and sister, everything will be fine. Regina nearly cried when they were able to spot Emma being taken to a hospital with a baby on her chest. King found a quiet place to park before they managed to break the cuffs. He hadn’t had enough magic to make them solid so to speak.

“We can’t walk in there looking like drowned rats,” Regina said. Regina pulled her drawstring bag out of her pocket. The idiot didn’t even realize she had the dagger and sword, the entire time. Out here Emma was right up close he wouldn’t be able to tell it from his own dark energy.

“What are we going to do?” King asked.

“Break in for a change of clothes,” Regina said. They found a small shop and Regina attempted to pick the lock until King just kicked it in.

“Oh, King now we have to pay for that too,” Regina grumbled. They went in and thankfully there was no alarm system or cameras. They changed clothes and found a bag for their wet ones; Regina didn’t want to leave any evidence. And she also got new clothes for Viveka and Emma. She left enough cash for the clothes, and to fix the door with a note that said sorry. They made it to the hospital and found Emma and Viveka.

“Can you leave?” Regina asked.

“Officially not until morning,” Emma said after she hugged King and thanked her for saving Regina and the kids Henry was practically crying and happy to see Emma and Viveka.

“See didn’t I tell you Mama and Vivi were okay?” Regina asked him. He nodded.

“Where’s Hook?” Emma asked.

“Swimming back in, but hopefully still passed out from the spell you put on my daggers,” King said. “We aren’t safe here.”

“Well we can’t get on a plane this late,” Emma said.

“No, we’ll take a car to get out of the area tonight, I’m pretty sure he walks everywhere, and doesn’t know how to operate a car,” Regina said. “I mean the darkness didn’t teach him to drive right?”

“Not out here, also the darkness would see us prevail. Why would it settle for Hook when it could have Rhiannon or me?

“Hablemos a calzón quitao, preferably Rhiannon, unless it is using Hook to get Rhiannon back to Storybrooke, we still don’t know what is going to happen,” King told them. She’d told them to speak honestly particularly Emma in not denying that the darkness would love Rhiannon.

“She’s right we don’t know, but we must return that is inevitable and deal with the consequences whatever they may be,” Regina said even as she kissed her Little Queen hoping and praying that if she did age, she had given her more than enough love to combat it, to be her own person.

“I know God, let’s just put some distance between us and him, it will still take him time to swim in, I’d rather not be anywhere in the city when he does,” Emma said. They nodded. Emma was easy to discharge against Doctor’s wishes, Viveka not to so much without lots of arguing, but they got her while King went out in search of a car. They dressed Viveka warmly, like her sister she was now in a thick sweater. Once they were all leaving, they met King in the last hospital parking lot.

“I broke into a rental place and took off the tracker thingy, you told me about when you said you used to steal cars,” King said.

“You learned how to steal a car from my stories,” Emma said. “Where did you even get the tools?”

“My Queen’s bag,” King shrugged. Emma turned on Regina.

“You have car stealing tools?” Emma asked her. Regina shrugged.

“And lock picks, I had to be prepared,” Regina said.

“Did you learn how to steal a car too from my stories?”

“No, I focused more on lock picking, but I couldn’t unlock it at the clothes store, so King just kicked the door in,” Regina pouted.

“Sexiest thing you ever said, I’ll teach you how to pick locks, in our free time,” Emma said. Regina gave her a smile before turning to King.

“Did you leave money?” Regina asked King.

“Yes, well not physical cash, I also put my new computer skills to use, I mean but it wasn’t really that hard because someone left their password out, and then I just completed a sale. So unfortunately, it is traceable to you Emma, but I thought better not to ruin my Queen’s reputation she is a mayor.”

“Well that card is going to bounce for sure,” Emma said.

“No, I put extra money in your account just in case,” Regina said.

“Like fifteen thousand dollars’ worth, because that’s what you must have paid,” Emma said as they got into the car.

“Yes,” Regina said securing them in the car seats, King no doubt had picked up from the place as well.

“Why do I even bother asking of course you did, is always the answer,” Emma muttered as she got in the driver’s seat. Regina only demanded one stop and that was to get them some coffee for warmth and Henry a hot chocolate. She nursed both girls individually during the drive. Emma was extra careful in her driving if each child was not in their car seat. By the time they were in Orlando, Emma could sense that Hook was following more quickly then they hoped.

“Plane, we need to take the plane to Boston. He’s moving too quickly,” Emma said. Regina nodded as they were stopped at a store picking up diapers for the girls first thing that morning.

“Okay pay for these will you,” Regina said. Emma nodded and took the supplies to the counter to pay. Regina found a burner cell and plan before joining Emma at the counter. Once she had it hooked up, she was looking for flights out that day.

“Southwest?” Emma asked when instead of going to information, Regina took them straight to the check-in counter.

“What can I say, they’re really awesome with their wanna get away deals right now. Well I mean it was expensive, but for our needs they’re great,” Regina said. Emma nodded.

“No, no checked bags, just three children,” Regina said.

“And you booked one seat for your four-year-old, but the infants will be in your lap.” Regina nodded. Once they had their tickets they hurried to the gate.

“I can’t believe you got four things of soup through security,” Emma said eating as they waited to board. King had picked up four soups with Henry.

“They can’t see all that I hold,” Regina shrugged. The girls were sitting before her on the seat while she squatted in front of them with her soup. They drooled and opened their mouths for some soup. She let them decide what they would eat, and they were mostly on breast milk, but occasionally like now, they wanted in on proper food as Emma referred to it. Rhiannon growled as she looked at Emma.

“Now how come when you want Mama to share you growl at me, but you babble at your mommy?” Emma asked as she blew on the creamy potato, bacon, and green bean soup she had. Rhiannon only gave her a big smile that she returned. Viveka not to be left out bounced and growled as they looked at Emma too who gave them their next spoonful.

“Well if you answer her every time she growls,” Regina chucked. Rhiannon had growled at her before, but she’d ignored her until she found a new way to get her attention aside from crying.

“What and not be happy that she has specific signs for me, I think not,” Emma said.

“Then don’t complain Dark Savior,” King chuckled as she finished her soup.

“Mommy where we go?” Henry asked.

“Home my little prince, to Ruby, Lily, Mal, Robin, and Roland. Oh and don’t forget your Uncle, he can’t wait to play with you.” Henry smiled.

“No more bad man?” Henry asked looking between his mothers.

“Lo siento querido, but Hook will follow us, that’s why we have to go home where King has more friends to help protect us, and our magic will come back so he can’t get near us again.”

“You fire ball him?” Henry asked.

“Oh as soon as possible my little prince,” Regina told him. Henry nodded.

“Okay mommy if you make a big fire ball that good,” Henry said.

“Very good, Hook won’t know what hit him when your mommy gets to him!” Emma declared.

“And Mama,” Henry added matter of fact making Emma smile.

“Yes, definitely Mama, he won’t even see her coming she’s so quick!” Regina told him. Emma beamed more at her family. Rhiannon and Viveka growled again and she quickly got back to feeding them. Once they were done, they settled to nurse from Regina until finally they were called. They were in the air when Regina and Emma blocked a strike from Hook, not that it got close to the plane. He just didn’t have the exact reach he needed.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t know where we’ll land and it will take him longer to get back to Storybrooke, I want him to be the only threat left when he arrives,” Regina said.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy the last chapter update of the year.

Chapter Two

**Storybrooke Mayor’s Office**

“Ah!” Blue yelled as she destroyed a wall in Regina’s office. The fairies before her were cowering in fear.

“How the hell did our residents forget that fairies are fucking real!” Blue yelled at them.

“We don’t know, but while they seem aware of everything else, they don’t believe in us, and so the dust has gone inactive,” Nova told her. Nova was pale, thin, and tired from giving birth to twenty-five drones more than dwarves. She would have loved to have a child with Grumpy, but none of these belonged to her, they never had. And now she couldn’t even look at him anymore, and he couldn’t look at her. She would never say it out loud to Blue, but she couldn’t wait for Regina and Emma to return. She would do all she could then to feed them intel.

“Great, and the one person who can reactivate it, is conveniently not in Storybrooke, but yet another child of the Savior’s.”

“What are we going to do?” Arthur asked. “We were relying on Hook to be a sort of battering ram so we wouldn’t waste anymore dust.”

“We?” Blue snorted. “You mean you!” Her lip curled in disgust at his stupidity.

“It’s done now, what of our plans, we wanted to break those barriers before they came back, leave them without a safe space in Storybrooke, and we were also supposed to be finding her sister, we were to use her magic as well.”

“Well unfortunately she is still behind the barrier as well!” Blue snapped. She paced as she thought.

“Hook will have to kidnap Henry, it’s the least he can do for walking out of town.” Arthur nodded as Blue stomped to the desk and dialed Hook’s number. He answered, he had finally found them.

“They’re on some island, but I’ve just got off a ship, I will have them by tonight, and you will have the boy.” He hung up.

“Good, we need the boy before we can do anything against them,” Blue told Arthur. “Make sure your men are guarding the town line, unfortunately they will chase after him, although if that idiot manages to do anything maybe he will get control of the sword and dagger, and they’ll be under my control.”

“You think he’ll just give it up the sword and dagger?” Arthur asks.

“No, but the old dwarves have been building me a lovely little cage to keep them in, when I have no use for them. So, unless he wants to join them, he will give them to me.”

“What of their spawn?” Arthur asked.

“We’ll kill them as soon as they’re over the town line, make sure your soldiers know to aim for the head or heart of the little brats. We can’t have their abominations running around.”

“Got it, I’ll deliver the orders, they saw what they did to me, my soldiers won’t hesitate,” Arthur told her. He left out and easily found the stupidest of the dwarves who gave him the location of the cell. He stationed two men whose sole goal was to gain control of the sword or the dagger, both if possible before Blue did.

“If that bitch thinks she will take my Kingdom from me, she is wrong,” Arthur said as he headed for his men.

**Boston, MA**

“You take a walk with the kids and King, I’ll check on the bug,” Regina told Emma.

“Are you sure?” Emma asked. Regina nodded.

“Emma you need to spend time with them without me,” Regina pointed out. Emma pouted.

“But Little Queen hates me,” Emma said.

“Not true, remember how she calmed for you after labor?” Regina reminded.

“Yes, the one and only time,” Emma said.

“You stopped singing again,” Regina reminded. The closer they had gotten to their return, the more Emma seemed to retreat again. Regina was just glad she could still coax her into being herself at times.

“I know,” Emma sighed. Regina didn’t say any more as she gave her a kiss before handing her Rhiannon who snuggled up against Emma to continue her nap. Regina gave all three children a kiss before taking the keys from Emma. They walked off to the nearby park, while she attempted to start the car. She drove it carefully to a mechanic and paid him double to look it over already. While they maybe could afford the day, she didn’t want too, they had gained a lot of time, and they would use it by getting to safety as quickly as possible.

“All done, you’re good to go, I put in a new battery, but your car has been fine even if it sat awhile,” He said.

“Thank you,” Regina said tucking away one of Merlin’s book back into her drawstring bag. She went shopping for car seats though and installed them next to Henry’s old one.

“Yeah this is not going to work,” Regina said. She parked the bug again in the rented garage before taking a taxi to a car dealership. Without Emma it was a little harder to grow her Mercedes back again, but she traded it in for an SUV that would seat six. She went back to the garage and reinstalled the car seats. She was just wondering if she could manage to shrink the bug when Emma came back with the girls ready to feed.

“You ready to go after feeding?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, we can go eat too, if you feed Vivi, I will take LQ,” Regina said. “But first we need to shrink the bug until Storybrooke.

“If we do that, how will we get home?” Emma asked. Regina pointed to their new car. “Oh, I thought you would have the other SUV towed later to somewhere near Storybrooke.”

“Nope, we’ll figure that out later,” Regina said. They shrank the bug, before they got the girls fed and then went to one of Emma’s old favorite restaurants. Eventually they were on the road again, headed towards Storybrooke.

**Townhall, Storybrooke, Maine**

“What do you mean you lost them in the ocean?” Blue asked her voice tight.

“I mean somehow that bitch guard was able to electrocute me with her daggers, but I got her with my Hook, she’s going to be real surprised to find the dream shade poison, strong enough to take down a dark one, she’ll die as soon as she crosses the town line probably.”

“Probably isn’t good enough a reassurance would have been better, but you don’t know do you?”

“No, I guess I don’t know how long she will last, it will certainly slow her down as well.”

“Indeed, but you best hope that they don’t have the cure that they gave to Charming. How long until you catch up with them.

“Not long now, they have stopped again, underestimating me again I suppose, but they won’t get away from me again.”

“They had better not get here before you and the kid,” Blue growled. “Call me again when you have him.” Blue had hardly been pacing five minutes when the phone rang. She picked it up expecting good news.

“They got away again, they managed to fly fast through the sky in a metal contraption.” Blue gripped the phone hard.

“And where pray tell are they going in this metal contraption?”

“I don’t know, they move too fast, once they are out of the air, my connection will reaffirm itself out here, of that I am sure.”

“Good, let’s hope they don’t land in Storybrooke!” Blue snapped and hung up. She let out a breath and rubbed her temples. There was a light knock. “Enter!” The charmings stepped through.

“Is there anything we can do to serve you Blue, the others seem unreliable,” Snow said. Blue looked at them for a long moment.

“Yes, yes, indeed I believe that you can,” Blue said pulling out her wand. It didn’t rely strictly on fairy dust, perhaps she could get what she needed after all as soon as Emma and Regina came back.

“We live to serve you,” They replied.

**Storybrooke Townline**

“Move quickly and silently we need to be in position,” Cox ordered the black knights. She had only taken the quietest of the guard and skilled. They ran through the forest and quietly began to climb the trees to stay hidden in case any of Arthur’s men came into the tree line. Cox assessed whether she could send guard over to the other side of the road, but it was risky as they had set up a campfire there. She motioned for only two to go and indicated that they should handle those men at the camp. The rest were milling about on the road itself their very presence a blockade. Most of the road leading out hadn’t been shoveled except for the path the soldiers had taken leading back into town. Quite a few town services hadn’t been taken care of as usual with the town split in half, that which Blue controlled was a state of chaos. Soldiers did as they pleased, and food was scarce unless you were a soldier or perhaps a fairy.

**Highway Leading to Storybrooke**

A half a mile from the town line Emma began to slow the car down, it was snowing like crazy tonight and visibility was going to get worse as time passed by. She couldn’t believe that over the course of 48 hours or more she wasn’t even sure anymore; she had gone from sunny Cuba to dreary Maine.

“Why are you stopping?” King asked. “Do you sense something?” She was looking around from her place in the passenger seat. Regina was currently passed out in the back seat with the girls. She was mentally exhausted after hours of crying and attempting to cling to only her. Their little Queen was so upset she managed to use just the tiniest bit of magic to unbuckle her car seat. That had led to random flares of magic until she’d passed out too. She never wanted to travel like this again.

“No, just want to give Regina a chance to wake up first,” Emma said. King nodded in understanding. Who knew how close they would be to the town line and they shouldn’t wake Regina up suddenly? There really wasn’t anything keeping Arthur’s knights from crossing the town line, so they shouldn’t use it like a shield. In fact, tactically it was their disadvantage if Regina and Emma didn’t have full range of use of their powers, they might find that this weakened them, allowed them to be captured. Certainly, had allowed for Hook to get them, and King wasn’t interested in having a repeat.

“Hey baby time to wake up,” Emma said. Regina made a face but opened her eyes. She hadn’t experienced sleep as she once knew it, but the mental break was everything that she needed.

“Are we at the line?” Regina asked as she straightened up and even yawned.

“No, about a half a mile out, didn’t want to startle you awake with battle.” Regina nodded.

“Hmm…for the best,” Regina said pulling out her burner phone. “Cox is in position already. They texted three hours ago; we’d better get a move on. Probably freezing out in a this and we want everyone at home and safe and in bed as soon as possible.”

“What’s the plan?” Emma asked.

“I assume they’ll keep us from stepping over to the town line in order to subdue us,” King told Emma. “We need to get over the town line…”

“I’m not hitting anyone with the car not while my children are in it,” Emma interrupted.

“No, but I intend to send those soldiers licking their wounds back to that gnat and their false King,” Regina said. “We need to send a message and give ourselves some breathing room.

“So, get inside the town line and transport away?” Emma asked.

“Yes, you and the kids transport away, King and I will handle Arthur’s men with Cox,” Regina said.

“I can’t leave you to fight alone,” Emma said.

“You can, your job is to look after the children,” Regina said. Emma frowned.

“I am uncomfortable leaving you alone, what if we park the car and approach the town line, they’ll come after us, but you are a formidable sword fighter and I pass I suppose.” King snorted.

“After all my hard work don’t you get out of this car and embarrass me with, ‘I pass I suppose’,” King told her sternly. Emma looked ashamed.

“I won’t shame you I can do better than that,” Emma said.

“You had better,” King said. “Now we’ll have Cox engage them from behind, that will allow us to get over the town line, we’ll leave the car just out side of it, once we’re across the line, we’ll clear the soldiers with magic, your usual vines my Queen should be enough to subdue them. Then Emma you will bring the car forward with the children safely.”

“I’m okay with that, far enough to keep the kids safe, close enough for me to jump in if needed,” Emma said looking from Regina to King. Regina nodded her consent. She thought about waking Henry, either actively worrying him already or him waking up and panicking neither route seemed great to her as Emma started the car again and carefully pulled off or at least she would have if they were suddenly surrounded by soldiers.

“They must have hidden more, Cox didn’t report this,” King said.

“She wouldn’t have seen them in this weather,” Regina said.

“Then the scout will be punished,” King muttered as she used her car door to slam into the face of a soldier pushing him back. She’d already unbuckled as soon as she saw the threat. She kicked at another and got out of the car pulling them away from Regina’s door. Emma was immediately out of her own as one guy made to smash the back window over Henry.

“Mama!” Henry screamed as the glass broke, thankfully it didn’t completely shatter over him. Emma pulled one soldier away and hit at him four men ganged up on each woman while another three cut Henry out of his car seat and pulled him through the broken window.

“HENRY!” Regina yelled as she blasted one soldier and broke the neck of another as they disappeared into the forest.

“MOMMY!” Henry screamed back. The snow was falling thickly around them now as she tried to go after them instead the last two men went straight for the car on purpose and Regina hated herself in that moment for choosing to protect her girls as Emma was no where to be seen and King definitely still occupied. But she had just reacted to the closest danger as she grabbed one of their knives and stabbed one in the neck. The last took off running, they all did. They had lost six men between her and King. All four of Emma’s survived.

“I didn’t think I could bleed,” Emma grumbled as King pulled her up and Regina headed into the woods looking for tracks, but there were too many, they’d already trampled the area on purpose, she couldn’t be sure she’d be able to catch up as visibility was getting worse and worse.

“My Queen!” King called joining her. “Let’s go, we can’t track them out here in this, but one thing is for sure, they have to go back into town and once in there, there will be no hiding.” Regina frowned and nodded as they hurried back to the car. The girls were screaming, Emma was shaking in anger, and if the girls weren’t in the car, Regina was sure she’d floor the gas even in heavy snow.

“I’m so sorry I let them get pass me,” Emma said. She was gripping the steering wheel hard as flashes of Charlotte were going through her mind.

“We’ll find him, they just want to activate the fairy dust, and he’s a child and heir to the throne. If she’s keeping up any pretense then she intends to use and control him,” Regina said even as her leg bounced. Didn’t stop her from trying to spot anything through the trees. As they approached the town line, Emma flicked her lights and Cox led the attack, there were plenty of men here too practically frozen at their small fires. Only a few weren’t distracted by Cox and came after them. King was out first pulling her sword from her necklace it expanded in her hand and she fought expertly. Regina held a sword she had taken from Arthur’s knight and slashed her way to the town line.

“Shh… girls mommy’s just clearing a path for us,” Emma said gently. One soldier tried to come for her, but King threw a dagger and hit him in the neck. “Remind me not to ever mess with King.” 

Regina grunted as she got to the obvious Captain of the group. He was scared and looking around him left and right, he didn’t know who to fight. Regina approached him and smirked just as she felt her magic overflowing for the first time in months. The ground was covered in snow, the battle all spread out you couldn’t see the town line anymore physically, but she had just crossed it.

“And now the real fun begins,” Regina told him. Yellow pooled at his feet earning him a look of disgust from Regina. “Now you’re going to tell me where they took my son?” She dropped the bloody sword in the snow and a fireball appeared in her hand. He screamed and ran, but not before she blasted him good. Vines started to appear and began to wrap the men up tightly. By the time they were all hanging from the trees, including all the dead. She had used vines to drag them back across the town line, it wouldn’t do for anyone to find them dead or anything belonging to Storybrooke. King walked over the line and suddenly fell to the ground in pain grabbed her arm.

“Ah!” King cried. Cox, Regina, and Emma went to her.

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked.

“I don’t know, my arm it burns,” King told her. Regina cut the sleeve off her arm, and they saw the dark lines spreading from the wound, King had sustained from Hook. It wasn’t a deep one, but that wasn’t necessary.

“Dream shade poison, his hook still had poison on it,” Emma said.

“We need to get her to Granny now,” Regina said she waved her hand, she left them all hanging in the trees, except the captain, she took with her, he wasn’t dead, but he’d spill his guts if necessary.

“Emma the girls,” Regina said. They were just outside the barrier, by Granny’s, but were able to cross through just fine, Emma would have to get the car later, it wasn’t as easy as them just walking through.

“You made it!” Ruby exclaimed.

“We need the dream shade antidote we hid with you now,” Regina ordered. Ruby nodded and was into action as Granny came over and took the two car seats from Emma and began checking on the two screaming infants. Well they quieted down for Granny as soon as she had them in her arms. Ruby bought the potion and quickly administered it to King, who stopped writhing in pain and the black lines disappeared from her arm.

“Cox take her home, she needs to rest,” Regina said.

“No, I must go after our prince,” King said.

“You will rest that is an order, Ruby and…”

“If the next name out of your mouth isn’t Emma, you’ve gone insane,” Emma interrupted.

“Who’s going to stay and protect the girls?” Regina asked.

“These four impenetrable giant ass walls, their own magic, and Granny, and I’d like to see the bastard that gets pass Granny.”

“A dead bastard,” Granny said.

“Wilcox and Chris stay here and guard the heirs, Yates fetch Maleficent as magical back up for the heirs,” Cox ordered as King grimaced. Yates was bolting out the door at a sprint for Maleficent. Once Regina had seen King off to rest, upstairs at least until their return she turned to Ruby who already had her red cloak in hand.

“They took Henry to get the fairy dust back no doubt, where are they likely to take him to meet up with Blue, she’ll need to convince him first and that means calming him. She’ll need to make nice so that’s bought us a bit of time as he’ll throw a tantrum.” Ruby nodded and pulled out a map out and rolled it out on the counter.

“Archie and Marco say that a lot goes on at the town hall and not the convent as one would think,” Ruby said.

**Storybrooke Convent **

“Why are we shaving his head?” Arthur asked. “How does his hair help with fairy dust?”

“Because Arthur at this age, Henry is useless he’s not the author or the truest believer not yet. But older Henry, he was the real power.” Henry screamed as guards held him down as Blue cut his hair shabbily on purpose. The razor cut his skin drawing blood like she wanted coating his brown hairs in his blood.

“So, you’re going to age him back?” Arthur asked.

“No, that would be stupid, he wouldn’t help us, nor do I know what he will know with the dark one’s potion. If Hook wasn’t such a damn idiot. No, I am going to rip the ten-year-old version of Henry from this new version, deep down those memories are there, I just need to separate them.”

“Why ten?” He asked. She grinned.

“Because he was Regina’s worse enemy, once I get him to believe, I will convince him that the Evil Queen has stolen Rumple’s power and corrupted the savior. He will do everything in his power to bring her down, including finding the dagger and sword. And break her in the process.”

“She’ll be weak,” Arthur said. Blue nodded as she finished and gathered up the blood coated hairs.

“Take him outside and leave him to try and get home,” Blue ordered.

“Will he make it?” Arthur asked after the guards left. Blue shrugged.

“Maybe the Charmings get him in time, maybe not, I don’t care if they cross the barrier with a dead body or a live one as long as they’re trusted,” Blue said.

“You are cunning,” Arthur said.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

“Where’s my son?” Regina growled as Emma grabbed Nova by the throat.

“I don’t know, Blue left suddenly, but I had no idea she had Henry,” Nova choked out. “I would never harm him.” Regina glared at her.

“Should I just end her to keep her from breeding?” Emma asked.

“Please no…I hate Blue,” Nova cried.

“Lower her Emma,” Regina ordered. Nova cried as she let out a breath of relief and rubbed her throat when Emma had set her down, but she was still weary of them as she spoke. Ruby guarded the door.

“Please Blue has destroyed what I had with Leroy, destroyed the very idea of children with a man I love. Destroyed love even. I will do her bidding no more except in a way in which I can help you.” 

“Are you alone?” Emma asked her.

“For now, but I will sow seeds of dissent if I must, I cannot forgive what was done, only destroy her,” Nova said. Emma looked at Regina who was staring at Nova.

“When you have something to tell us go to the diner, someone will approach you,” Regina said before walking out. Emma looked at her.

“Keep an eye out for Henry, if you find him before we do.” Nova nodded her head vigorously. Emma stalked out and Ruby took up the rear.

“Stupid,” Regina muttered as she stalked down the streets of Storybrooke. Most of the soldiers weren’t walking around town at the moment and the citizens themselves just pleaded for her to stop starving them as if she were at fault or gave her a wide berth. Emma and Ruby on her heels.

“You aren’t stupid,” Emma said. “You made a choice.”

“A horrible choice,” Regina said.

“Yes, no mother should have to choose between her children, but you had too, and the fact of the matter is in that moment you could only reach those men that went for the girls. And unfortunately, there is so much we don’t know about how vulnerable they are and are not. They were in immediate danger of dying out there, Henry was not, we know they need him for the dust.”

“And after the dust?” Regina asked her seriously as she turned and searched her eyes for the answer.

“They will keep him I know that, just in case we pull that trick again, knowing that they had taken our son from us. But Blue is not that stupid, she knows that if she kills any of our children, we will rage harder than ever and this war is lost. She won’t kill him.”

“Yeah and is Arthur just as smart and patient?” Regina asked her. Emma frowned as her mind flashed back to what Regina had endured.

“Exactly, if he’s capable of that, what will he do to a useless four year?” Regina asked her. Emma felt sick to her stomach at the thought. “I will never forgive myself and now I will have to live with that for eternity.” Regina kept walking scanning for any other fairies out and about who might have seen Blue.

“Soldiers!” Someone yelled.

“Ruby come closer, we’ll head to the woods and see if we can pick up Henry’s scent in this mess,” Emma said. Ruby shook her wolf’s head from side to side and pawed at the snow.

“It’s too much snow Emma, the wind will have carried it away and the snow covered their tracks by now,” Regina replied. Emma growled.

“The convent?” Emma asked. “She’s not normally there, but maybe just maybe she took Henry there, away from the town eyes.”

“Get them!” a soldier yelled, but Emma sent a wave of dark energy at them, before she put a hand on Ruby and Regina and took them to the convent. The fairies screamed and ran out of their path. As they threw open doors until Ruby howled. She had a scent that took them down to the basement.

“Henry?” They asked confused not seeing a four-year-old, but a ten-year-old Henry passed out on a mattress.

“What the fuck?” Emma asked.

“He was at his most powerful,” Regina said picking up the tiny jar of fairy dust that was shining.

“Did she take his heart like Pan?” Emma asked clearly ready to start killing fairies. Regina ran a hand over him.

“No, he’s just sleeping from a potion, it should wear off soon. Grab him, he should be able to remember the last four years plus what just happened. He can explain,” Regina said. Emma nodded and gently lifted her son after Regina had magicked him some clothes. Ruby gave him a long sniff though as if he might be an imposter when she didn’t indicate he was they left with Regina leaving them with a promise that she would rain fire down on this convent in the near future before they disappeared back to the diner. They arrived just outside of it and the barrier allowed them to pass through unharmed.

“Always feels weird,” Emma grunted as Regina put Ruby’s cloak on her.

“Mommy!” Regina turned suddenly and from the back room a bald and bloody looking four-year-old Henry ran to her forgetting about the blanket he had been wrapped in. 

“What is going on?” Regina asked as Granny appeared with the Charmings of all people. Emma’s eyes narrowed. Her daughters were too close to them, but Maleficent was as fierce a wall as Granny as the girls now rested in baskets on the bar.

“We’re not possessed now,” David said immediately. “The fairy dust wore off and we were able to see through Blue’s deception.” 

“She made you turn against me?” Emma asked. “Against my family.”

“Our family,” Snow corrected as she stepped closer to Emma with tears in her eyes.

“You’re still a threat until I say otherwise, how do you have Henry, when we have Henry?” Regina asked even as she lifted her son up wondering who was fake, but he didn’t seem fake.

“We don’t know, we were sneaking out, we had to pretend to be under her spell a bit longer, and they just threw Henry out into the cold. I don’t know if to kill him or not, but we found him cold and scared. We brought him here immediately.” Emma’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything. Regina ran a magical hand over little Henry and the larger.

“They are the same,” Regina said. She turned to Snow and David. “You aren’t allowed near us until we can trust you again, nor are you allowed near Neal.”

“Regina he’s our son, we just brought you back yours, you can’t keep me from mine, don’t you think Blue has done enough?” Snow cried.

“And if you turn out to be liars, we’ll not see Neal harmed. You would understand that,” Maleficent told her. “No, you may have a supervised visit with Neal here, but then he goes back to where he is safe and protected.”

“You can bring him home to me,” Emma said. “But Regina and Mal are right, you have to earn our trust back, one brave act will not put you in our good graces. One false move and I will protect my children and my brother from you.” 

“I’ll escort Neal over and back again,” Ruby said.

“Not in this weather,” Maleficent said. “Lily’s on the roof if you need her, I’ll help Regina and Emma get settled and then bring Neal here.” Snow and David tried to complain a little more, but they ignored them. “Where too?”

“Home,” Regina said as Maleficent disappeared with the girls first, and then they followed with both boys. They lay Henry in his room, changing the bed from a toddler one.

“I’ll go get the car,” Emma said before disappearing while Regina was in the kitchen with little Henry cleaning his cuts. His head was entirely too irritated for her to even cut his hair.

“We’ll take care of your hair tomorrow Papi, it’s too red right now,” Regina told him kissing his forehead.

“Mommy they tooks me and hurts me,” Henry told her.

“I know baby, and mommy is so sorry she let them take you,” Regina told him as her eyes grew wet. She would never forgive herself for almost losing him

“Mommy you no get hurt that better,” Henry told her holding her just as tightly. “They hurt Mama.”

“Yes, they did but she’s fine now, she heals quick,” Regina sniffled. Henry wiped her eyes with a tissue. They stayed like that for a bit before they both seemed to decide that they needed to clean up. Regina shook her head as she looked around her house. Was it only a year ago, they were happily celebrating Christmas? The poinsettas were still fresh with her magic, but both trees had become dry with all their nettles falling off. She checked on the girls in their basket still sleeping for now full off the formula. She got a potion and revived the trees, while Henry swept the old nettles. Regina lit a fire needing warmth to return to her home, and she found it soothing as apparently Henry to just clean after the events.

“I’ve never seen a kid so concentrated on cleaning,” Emma said reappearing in the house.

“I think he’s taking on some of my habits,” Regina said. “Finding calm in something mundane and routine, and normal for me.” She gave Emma a kiss.

“Did the kid wake up?” Emma asked.

“No, at least not to scream, he didn’t leave the house though, I’d know,” Regina said. “Benefits of having magic easier to keep a kid from sneaking out.” Emma nodded. 

“It’s like this house was frozen in time,” Emma murmured. “I just wanna go back to that Christmas, well I mean I guess be having another Christmas, but a nice one with the girls. Their first Christmas and this is the mood.”

“I know, but we’ll make the best of it, we’ve always have.” Emma nodded and kissed her forehead.

“You already have, this place is starting to feel like home again.” Regina smiled at her before Emma went to little Henry and asked if she could get her cuddle time in now that he was back safe. He practically threw himself into her arms. Regina smiled at them as she finished cleaning the downstairs, she threw all the food out and cleaned her refrigerator. The girls started crying so she washed her hands and went into the living room.

“Hungry again or wet?” Regina asked as Rhiannon growled.

“Is…is… is she requesting me?” Emma asked in shock. Rhiannon growled again. “Oh, my little Queen wants me!” Regina chuckled as she lifted first Rhiannon who pushed her weight towards Emma who was all teary eyed as she took her. Viveka reached for her next but seemed content once in her arms. Rhiannon on the other hand put herself in a nursing position to Emma’s utter surprise. Little Henry shifted his position on the couch to allow his sister to eat and give her a kiss on the forehead. Regina sat down next to him and gave him a kiss and smile. He smiled back at her.

“Are you hungry my little prince or sleepy?” Regina asked wondering if she should cook something.

“Granny made me eat,” He said. She nodded grateful Granny had got him to eat something.

“Regina help,” Emma said as red smoke began to surround Rhiannon and when it cleared, she was a twelve-month-old baby.

“Rhiannon no, we talked about this, no age jumps it’s bad for you,” Regina said. Rhiannon just gave her a big smile and clapped her hands. Red smoke surrounded Viveka and she grew too.

“Little Queen no let your sister grow normally,” Emma chastised. Regina frowned as Viveka lay against her. Rhiannon just reached for her binky on the table. Emma gave it to her and sighed.

“I’m sorry baby,” Emma told Regina. Regina just gave her a sad smile and shook her head.

“We knew this might happen,” Regina sighed as Viveka rubbed her eyes and Henry yawned. “We should get them to bed.” Emma nodded.

**Town Hall**

“You think you’re so damn smart fairy, then how are you even going to communicate with the Charmings, you let them walk in and take one bargaining chip and let the other go.” Blue glared.

“Don’t be stupid if Hook can work a phone so can I, the Charmings can still send me a phone message,” Blue snapped. “And so, can Henry, he memorized the number before he went. You just do what you’re told and keep attacking or trying. Let them believe we only attack from the front while we also attack from the back.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, but I’m starting to doubt,” Arthur snapped. “And where is Hook we need his power to break that wall.”

“He’ll be here if he wants that sword,” Blue snapped back. “Now go!”

**Mifflin Street, Regina and Emma’s house, **

“They’re young?” Emma asked as Regina came in from picking apples.

“Yeah, woke up starving like that and then they grew again, only to play with Neal and then back when they were tired.”

“They just wanted to play then.” Regina shrugged.

“We’ll have to see what they do as time passes,” Regina said as little Henry came in followed by Neal already munching on apples straight from the tree. Emma was surprised it wasn’t frozen solid or that they didn’t look like they’d just been out in the freezing snow. She could only assume that was due to Regina’s magic.

“God they’re going to be a pain in the ass,” Emma sighed even as she kissed them. 

“Any change in Henry?” Regina asked. Emma shook her head.

“Not when I looked in on him,” Emma sighed. “So, is he going to remember or what?” 

“I honestly don’t know what he will and won’t remember anymore, there’s been so many potions,” Regina sighed herself as she put the basket down. “Mal brought food over from Granny’s, your parents want to see Neal so I thought depending on what happens with older Henry we could meet them for lunch.” Emma nodded. “The Storm is still pretty bad, so people are hunkering down inside, and Claudio stockpiled a few winter preserves of food for us, but they’ll deliver that later as well.”

“God why did the grocery store have to be on their side,” Emma frowned.

“It doesn’t matter I hear the place is empty, Mal said she’s been secretly giving food to Archie to hand out to a few loyal citizens.” Regina made pancakes as she spoke much to Henry’s delight as he whispered to Neal that if they were lucky, Regina would add chocolate chips to it. Regina didn’t hesitate to make Henry’s wish come true on that, so Emma gave him a little high five for his suggestion.

“Come on guys let’s set the table, Regi is working pretty fast on those pancakes,” Emma said. Henry and Neal helped her carry plates, utensils, and cups to the dining room and get it all set up. Soon Regina had breakfast on the table. She was cutting up little Henry’s food while Emma took care of Neal who was still in Henry’s high chair, but at eighteen months, he was more than eating on his own.

“What’s going on here?” Henry asked. Regina paused and looked up spotting the older version of her son standing in t-shirt and jeans she had magicked on him. “Where are all my clothes, why is my room ugly again, I told you that was for babies and stupid.” Regina swallowed hard as she saw that old hate again fill his eyes. God she had never wanted to see that look in his eyes again.

“Kid what the hell?” Emma asked him. “Your room is very nice and it is not for babies.”

“Emma what are you doing here?” Henry asked. “Why did you leave me here?” Henry asked. “Whose the kid?”

“I didn’t leave you anywhere you live here, don’t you remember?” Emma asked.

“No, we live with grandma and grandpa now, away from her,” He said giving another glare at Regina.

“No, we don’t it was cramped conditions and besides this is Neal, your uncle, Henry I don’t know how to tell you this, but this isn’t two thousand and one it’s it’s two thousand and four, you’re twelve or at least you were twelve.”

“What?” Henry asked. Emma showed him the date on her phone before explaining that Captain Hook a man he hadn’t met had turned him back into a child, the child Regina now stood over and that Blue had done that to his head and made him the part of him they thought lost forever, well not all of his as he was still down two ages well three now technically as he should have been thirteen that year.

“Sit sweetheart, it’s a lot to take in I know, and there’s so much we need to tell you,” Regina said.

“Sit Henry, mommy made pancakes with chocolate chips!” little Henry was excited as he yawned. He hadn’t slept much at all as he constantly woke up with a little jump, even though Regina was always there stroking his head gently to let him know he was safe. 

“It’s probably poisoned,” Henry grumbled but he did sit down. Regina just finished cutting little Henry’s food and went to get the girls who were just sitting up in their little basket.

“I know mi amors, you want in on breakfast too.” She picked them both up with a kiss and Henry looked startled when she came out of the kitchen with two cooing infants. Viveka immediately reached for Emma who took her gently and took a seat in her usual spot as Neal and little Henry were already digging into breakfast unprompted.

“Two of those things we needed to tell you about, this is your baby sister Rhiannon or little Queen as we like to call her and your other baby sister Viveka.”

“So, you both went out and had babies?” Henry asked.

“No, Regina had them both,” Emma said. Henry frowned.

“So why are you holding her,” He said glaring at Viveka as she accepted a piece of pancake from Emma.

“Because she’s my daughter too,” Emma said. “Regina and I have true love, we’re together kid, we’re getting married.”

“WHAT NO!” Henry yelled. “She was right this is some kind of trick!” He stood up and shoved his plate so hard that it flew off the table.

“This isn’t a trick,” Regina told him.

“Liar!” Henry yelled. “You put Emma under a spell that’s the only reason she’s here, Blue was right you are onto some new plan. She told me all about how you orchestrated it so that Emma would think Captain Hook was responsible and I would be as dumb as ever as a little kid, but she saved me to trick you, and now I just have to get rid of this shadow and Emma will see what is real and what is fake.” He grabbed his butter knife and went after little Henry. Little Henry saw him coming though and blasted him back with a ball of water.

“What the hell?”

“Mommy said no one hurt me again, not even self,” little Henry told his older self. “You a bad boy Henry.” The older Henry growled.

“Emma, we have to stop her, don’t you see, I can’t do magic,” Henry said.

“You can now, kid or at least he can,” Emma said. “You are not going to hurt any version of yourself, I love you both, and I want you both safe.”

“You think you can handle the girls, I’ll uh just take little Henry and go check in with everybody and drop Neal off with your parents. Maybe filling him in will just go over better with you.” Emma gave a sad smile and nodded.

“Henry let’s go get our jacket and shoes,” Regina said.

“But I want more mommy,” Henry whined.

“How about I give you a milkshake from Granny’s instead?” Henry was out of his seat quickly.

“Mommy let’s go we’re lates,” Henry cried. Regina couldn’t help, but smile after him, even as the older Henry called her a liar. She cleaned up Neal and took him to get his outer wear on before leaving. Rhiannon wasn’t pleased with this arrangement as she wasn’t done,and neither was Viveka.

“Emma let’s go now that she’s gone,” Henry said. 

“Henry sit down,” Emma said. “Eat your breakfast after you clean up what you spilled. I have to get the girls settled and then we’re going to talk.” Henry huffed and did clean up his mess after a silent fight, but Emma had learned a thing or two from Regina about being firm in her wishes. She fed the girls and managed to eat as well. Despite his mood, Henry was ravenous it seemed and ate everything that was left on the table including the ones Regina had barely touched. Once they had cleaned up, she put the girls on the floor for tummy time, which Rhiannon totally resisted.

“Oh no you need this to build your muscles, you gotta grow correctly,” Emma told her sternly. Rhiannon fussed but eventually was laying on her stomach reaching for a block. Henry came in and frowned at all the photos. Regina had gotten the Christmas ones up quickly as they didn’t have many as a family.

“Ugh she even has fake pictures up, are those girls even real, there are none of them,” Henry said.

“That’s because we only just got back into town, we left for their birth to protect them,” Emma said.

“You left town and you still stayed with her, the magic must have worn off,” Henry insisted.

“There is no magic spell on me making me love your mother,” Emma sighed to the point if she wondered if this is what it was like for Regina to talk to her. “Come sit down, what’s the last thing you remember as being true?” Henry sat after frowning at the picture of Charlotte.

“You said you left, then which one is this,” He indicated the girls.

“That was Charlotte, she died, I got her killed,” Emma said her throat going tight. “Please sit, I’ll explain everything as quickly and thoroughly as I can.” Henry sat down on the floor and looked at Emma who was giving Viveka a small smile as she removed a smaller object, she hadn’t seen on the blanket that she could choke on. She placed it on the coffee table out of reach. “So, what’s the last thing you remember to be true?” 

“We broke the curse and defeated mom; we were living happily ever after at the loft with grandma and grandpa.” Emma nodded. She waved her hand and the storybook appeared. Henry’s eyes looked wide and startled.

“A few things happened, I lied to you about your dad,” Emma admitted. “He was alive and you met him, but his current girlfriend kidnapped you and took you to Peter Pan, in Neverland I discovered I had magic, so no that’s not from Regina, it’s from your grandparents and being the savior.” 

“But magic is bad,” Henry said.

“The way people use magic can be bad yes, but it’s a part of me as much as it is apart of Regina, kid,” Emma said. “Another thing that happened is you became the author of the story book and I believe you started writing down our adventures.” Emma opened the book to the first page where Henry had begun recording. Henry took the book and began reading.

“It’s about mom,” He frowned.

“I think you wanted something from her perspective for once,” Emma shrugged. “You said she deserved at least one story where everyone could see she was a hero too. And, when Pan had you, I don’t know that we would have saved you if not for her. She loves you so much kid.” Henry just fell silent as he kept reading eventually, he went upstairs away from Emma with the book to begin processing the story of his time on Neverland.

“I’ll be here to explain anything you need.” He didn’t answer. Emma turned back to the girls and read them several short baby books. She changed diapers, fed them again, and talked to them about different birds of prey because that had interested her as a kid. They were sleeping when Regina came back with Henry and Neal. She got them out of their outer wear before releasing them.

“Inside voice Papi, favorite charming,” Regina told them as she slipped out of her heels. They ran around but less loudly as Emma came out of the living room.

“Hey, are you all right?” Emma asked pulling her into her arms. Regina nodded as she accepted a kiss from Emma.

“Yeah, I just needed a moment, I guess I just wasn’t prepared for that, it feels ten times worse now than it did before.” Regina sighed and hugged Emma tighter.

“I know, I know, I didn’t explain everything yet, I gave him the Storybook so he could read everything he wrote but he hasn’t come back down yet from his room. I think he’s processing everything, he’s always trusted the Storybook, and I don’t know how far Henry got before Hook turned him back. Although I confess, I hope the magic on the storybook gives him back his memories before we explain the other stuff.” Regina grimaced she was hoping to avoid the initial blow about Emma being the new dark one.

“I’ll make lunch then; the girls will be up again soon, or did you just get them down.”

“No, they were easy about going down, but I’m sure your little Queen knows you’re home now; she’ll be wanting to nurse. She gave me like five minutes but then she literally spit up on me as if my milk was no good.” Regina chuckled.

“I don’t think she can help when she spits up, you’re reading into it more than it is.”

“Nope, she hates me,” Emma insisted lightly as she looked at Henry and Neal who were building blocks, before heading after Regina. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina as she made Buddha bowls.

“Are you going to stay attached to me the entire time?” Regina asked with a smile as she turned to the stove with Emma hanging on.

“Uh huh,” Emma said kissing the top of her head. “So, what happened with my parents, Mal any update?”

“Hmm…your parents were insistent that they were here one hundred percent, they wanted to see you. Neal was a bit weird with them, he doesn’t know them anymore, I had to stick around, or he wouldn’t stay with them. Your mom barely managed to cry so I found that weird, I don’t trust it if that woman isn’t wailing when it comes to you and Neal. I think they were still affected regardless of the dust being inactive and they’re here to sow dissent in Henry, so he doesn’t trust us even if he believes the Storybook, I think he got as far as our adventures in New York with Charlotte. He was really upset about Cruella and it helped him to write it all down.” 

“We’ll be extra alert then,” Emma said.

“As for the war, Archie has heard talk about the town line, so only a few made it back to camp, the rest are still hanging dead in the trees or frozen on the ground. No one’s bothered to go out and get them not in this weather. Arthur has led small attacks on the shield trying for weakness, but nothing from Blue. I honestly think we may just push for a frontal assault soon; I think we can take the town even with their fairy dust, people are starving and freezing across the barrier.”

“I’m fine with that, better to do it before Hook gets back anyway,” Emma said. “He’s getting closer every day.” Regina nodded. “How do you want to handle him?”

“I leave that up to you,” Regina told her as she finished making lunch. Emma released her finally and helped her take the bowls to the table before grabbing glasses and filling them with water.

“I’ll go up and check on him, and get the girls,” Regina said. Emma nodded and went to get little Henry and Neal. Regina made it upstairs and knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

“Henry come….” Regina stopped as she saw that he was using a teddy bear to smear paint all over the walls.

“I told you I didn’t like this anymore,” Henry told Regina. Regina closed her eyes for a moment holding back tears.

“This wasn’t your room to do with as you please anymore,” Regina said. “All of your things are in storage. So, after lunch I fully expect you to come back in here and clean up all this paint so I can fix the wall, for little Henry. This is his room now, and don’t worry you’ll get the older or newer version of your room back. But don’t destroy his things again. As it stands, you’re two separate people for now or forever depending on what Blue did.” Henry glared at her. “Don’t glare at me, you live here, and you know this behavior is unacceptable, now get cleaned up and downstairs for lunch.” Regina turned away leaving the door open behind her before she moved into the middle of the hallway and extended the house by three rooms. A nursery for Neal one Snow had dreamed up for him once, a room decorated as older Henry had wanted it, and a bare nursery for her and Emma to work on.

“Regina everything okay up there?” Emma called.

“Fine, I just extended the house,” Regina called back before she went into her own bedroom. It was a mess of course, Emma seemed to be letting her mess creep out of her corner. The girls were up and buzzing with their own magic it seemed. They demanded to nurse so she got them both settled after texting Emma they could already start eating. They nursed for an hour and a half while she sulked about Henry.

“You two won’t ever hate me, right?” Regina asked as her girls as they looked up at her as she prepared to change their diapers. They cooed at her and gave her big smiles. She smiled back at them and gave them lots of kisses until they laughed.

“MOMMY come eats,” little Henry called up the stairs. 

“Looks like your brother wants to share with you,” Regina whispered to them making them laugh as she finished changing them and putting on fresh footie pajamas before Rhiannon growled. “Yes, little Queen I know you want Mama.” Regina lifted Rhiannon first and put her on one hip and got Viveka on the other hip before heading downstairs. She saw that Henry hadn’t gotten started on the room. She went downstairs where she could hear Henry and Emma playing his video games. Little Henry and Neal were driving trucks around on their knees. Rhiannon immediately grew to her twelve month self and tried to get down. Regina gently set her down and Henry immediately handed her truck.

“Vroom, vroom, little Queen,” Henry told her. Rhiannon tried to move from her sitting position and ended up flat on her stomach. She tried to move with her knees, but couldn’t do it even a little bit. Regina squatted down as she cried and looked at Regina expectantly to do something.

“Change back, you need to stay your age and grow properly or you’ll stay there forever instead of moving with your brother.” Rhiannon screamed about this but did get back to her proper age.

“Everything okay?” Emma called back.

“Yes, she’s just upset she hasn’t developed the ability to crawl yet,” Regina called back as she set Viveka down. She grabbed her food and ended up sitting on the bottom step to keep an eye on the younger children. Didn’t stop little Henry, Rhiannon, or Viveka from begging. She gave them some before she put the bowl away. She went into the living room briefly and shut the game off.

“Regi I was winning!” Emma cried.

“I don’t care, Henry you ruined little Henry’s room with black paint, I told you to get it cleaned off after lunch, why are you playing video games?”

“My real mother said I could play.” Regina’s body stiffened.

“We’re both your mother and I want that mess cleaned up now,” Regina told him glaring. He glared back.

“Henry what the hell, why would you do that to his bedroom?” Emma asked.

“It was my room, and I told her I hated the room that way, I was fixing it.”

“Well your old bedroom is back, like I said you are two different people you didn’t have to ruin his. Now clean it up now.” He glared but finally went to do as she asked, not before he kicked the truck away from Rhiannon. She growled and a wave of magic sent him falling hard on the floor.

“You’re evil just like your mother,” big Henry told her. Rhiannon’s bottom lip poked out and she started crying as little Henry went over and picked her up as best he could.

“It’s okay little Queen, Henwry is the bad one, he evil not you. You can have my truck.” He kissed her forehead and put her back down again before giving up his truck. He picked up the broken one and marched over to big Henry who was just getting up and glaring at them.

“Fix it,” little Henry demanded.

“I’m not fixing anything,” Henry told him.

“You brokes it and hurts little Queen, fix it and say sorry!” little Henry demanded with a glare.

“No!” Henry yelled back. Little Henry frowned.

“Stop fighting,” Emma said. “Henry that wasn’t okay, we won’t tolerate you bullying babies, you know better, is that what heros do?” Henry looked ashamed. “Exactly now get the supplies you need and clean the walls. Regina worked really hard on that room for both of you, so show some appreciation.”

“Who cares what she did to further her lies?” Henry asked even as he stomped away.

“The only lie here is that you think you aren’t wanted or loved,” Emma told him. He went upstairs and cleaned up his mess. Little Henry was furious when he saw but was happy when Regina had to fix the paint on the walls.

“You can sleep with us again tonight,” Regina told him. “I don’t want you breathing in the fumes.” Little Henry nodded as he straightened up his room. They went back downstairs to have family time. The only person not having family time was the older Henry.

**Townhall**

“They still don’t trust us despite us bringing back the younger Henry, but Regina looked close to tears, so we think your plan with older Henry is working,” Snow reported over the phone to Blue.

“Excellent, you need to work on earning their trust, I need you close to him so that he can hand off the dagger to you. Tell him we have a way to save Emma without stabbing her,” Blue told them.

“Do we?” David asked dumbly.

“No, but we have a prison for her, either way she won’t be a danger to anyone, now will she?”

“Right,” David said. “So how do we gain their trust?” 

“If I knew they’d be dead already, so now use your brains and get it done,” Blue snapped before hanging up and rubbing her temples. Nova frowned from her corner where she was laboring again, with the fairy dust dead she had thought she’d have a normal baby for once. “Shut up Nova can you manage to not breath any louder.” Nova just let tears silently fall down her face as another fairy attended to her.

“I hate you,” Nova cried quietly, but Blue didn’t seem to even notice as she stared out the window, hoping the storm ended soon, and that Hook returned, as they would use his magic to smash into Emma’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow me on my tumblr page, Phantomofthefiction, where I will be giving updates on chapters and when I will post again. :)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you know this year has been hectic for everyone. I was labeled essential personnel, plus my work was short of staff at the start of all this. I found myself too tired to write, and could only get bits of chapters done in small bursts. I had two or three finished chapters for a while now, but if you know me, I like to do a big update with all my stories, and today I finally managed to finish Shattered, which was one of the two taking the longest as it requires a lot of my attention to getting the feel just right. Happy reading Enjoy!

Chapter Four

**Cave Basement Regina and Emma’s dream house**

“She’s beautiful guys, congratulations,” Regina told them as she held her niece. Zelena was watching her wearily, but despite living in a cave and cage, Regina had afforded her every comfort with more than enough time spent outside of the place especially with her baby. Well, the entire cage was like a little apartment with no more bars for her baby’s sake.

“You’re not going to take her, are you?” Zelena asked.

“No, she’s yours, what did you guys name her?” Regina asked gently passing the baby back. She was already seven months old and thriving.

“Zuri Locksley,” Robin said smiling at his daughter. Regina nodded.

“If you think that you can forgo revenge for the joy of raising your daughter in peace, I thought you might want to move back to your farmhouse,” Regina said. “I bear you no ill will, like you I have more important things in my life now. I don’t want any of them to grow up like we did mistreated, angry, and alone. I want them to know how perfect they are just the way they were born, and I want them to feel all that love we both missed out on. I can’t make right what Mother did, but I do know I’d like to make my wish for a sister come true.”

“I would like that,” Zelena said.

“As a show of trust,” Regina said. Regina removed the cuff. “As soon as things settle at home for me, we’ll do dinner. In the meantime, you and Robin take care of Zuri. She and I are going to also have Auntie and niece time.” Regina waved her hand and disappeared back to the house.

**Mifflin Street Regina and Emma’s house**

“I can’t believe you released her,” Emma grumbled as she painted the apple tree brown, Regina went back to adding details to the tree she had already painted brown. Each wall would have an apple tree done according to the four seasons. Including two baby swans in the background getting bigger with the seasons until they were adults on the wall where their beds would be. The swans got little crowns on them with their wings spread out as colors of red for little queen’s magic, yellow for Viveka’s magic, blue for Henry’s magic, purple for Regina’s, and white for Emma’s magic. Regina would add a Storybook to represent that part of Henry that was lost to them, well hopefully not anymore.

“Robin said she’s changed since she’s become a mother and I want to give her a chance. Besides this cuff might be more useful on Hook right now,” Regina said. “I still have the wand I can send her ass back to Oz if I need too.”

“All right well if you had a backup plan in case this blows up in your face, which I think it will,” Emma shrugged. Regina rolled her eyes as they worked. Once the children were awake from their nap, they stopped working, she’d forced the older Henry to have quiet time in his room because she couldn’t take the glares.

“Mom I want McDonald's,” Henry whined.

“McDonald's?” Regina asked as if she hadn’t heard right.

“Yeah,” Henry said. “Since you can leave town so freely, I want McDonald’s.”

“No, do you not see the storm raging out there, we’re not having McDonald’s.”

“Then I want Granny’s,” Henry snapped. Regina raised an eyebrow at him, and they glared at one another for a long time.

“There are beans on the stove until dinner,” Regina replied as she settled Viveka to nurse from her on one side and little queen on the other.

“Ooh, beans!” little Henry exclaimed. The older Henry huffed and waited for Regina to finish with the twins before he whined about being hungry again. Regina put cheese between two tortillas and put them in the pan, well for four in all for each child, before she pulled them apart put hot sauce on it and rolled it up into little rolls and stuck it in a bowl of warm beans.

“You want beans, Emma?” Regina asked once Neal was good to go too.

“Uh no, I was annoyed having beans for breakfast this morning,” Emma replied.

“Well we have to wait for our groceries,” Regina said as Little Queen sat on her hip and Viveka was content on Emma’s.

“I know, but it’s beans you know,” Emma said.

“Not really no,” Regina said eating her own food one-handed. “My beans are really good.” Little Queen reached for the tortilla in Regina’s hands, and Regina fed her a bite.

“Emma take me to Granny’s we can get real food,” Henry pleaded. Emma frowned.

“Your mom already made beans and you were not respectful, why should I treat you?” Emma asked him. 

“Well then take me to see Grandma and Grandpa,” He said.

“No, not today, you know they’re at Granny’s because their loft is out of the zone, I’m not stupid Henry.” The image of Rumple appeared and snorted.

“You’re the dumbest person here, the babies are smarter than you,” Rumple told her.

“Whatever he’s saying it’s not true,” Regina interrupted Emma seeing she was focusing on a figure that wasn’t obvious to the rest of them.

“Whose saying anything?” Henry asked confused as he finished eating. Despite his whining, he’d cleaned his bowl.

“Nothing, no one,” Emma said. She took a bite from Regina’s bowl of beans.

“Hey, between you and Little Queen, I’ll never eat,” Regina snapped, but she pushed the bowl to her fiancé none the less. She made more and gave both versions of her son more before they could ask.

“What are you making for dinner?” Emma asked.

“Hmm…Pozole I think is what Carlos said we had ingredients for,” Regina replied.

“Oh no, we’re going to be eating that all winter,” Henry whined.

“Yay Pozole!” Little Henry cheered.

“Good, we’ll save rations for everyone else in town,” Regina told her.

“I don’t like this, this is some trick, I bet if I get outside the storm will just disappear.”

“Henry don’t do anything dangerous!” Emma snapped. Henry’s eyes went wide and little Henry started crying.

“Mama I’m not doing anything bad,” little Henry cried.

“Oh no, no honey I’m sorry, I’m sorry I meant to yell at big Henry, not you,” Emma comforted.

“You’ve done something to Emma, she doesn’t yell,” Henry accused Regina.

“I haven’t done anything to Emma,” Regina said.

“Oh yeah, then why is she hearing voices and now yelling at me?” Henry asked.

“Because I stupidly allowed the apprentice of Merlin to release the darkness from Gold!” Emma snapped. They had wanted to hide it from Henry, but Emma would not have Regina being accused in her home. “The darkness attacked our family, and so I tethered it to my body in order to control it.”

“We have to get rid of it!” Henry yelled.

“We’ve already tried that kid, and I didn’t do anything but infect your sister, and nearly get your mom killed in the process. Not to mention you and Henry.” She kissed little Henry’s head.

“You were kidnapped to get us to give Blue the dagger,” Emma told him. “Your mom is a good person and it’s time you started acting like it.”

“NO!” Henry yelled. “This is a lie!”

“It’s not a lie,” Emma said.

“Where’s the dagger, I want to see it?” Henry asked.

“No one sees the dagger,” Emma replied. “I can’t trust you at all.” Henry looked taken aback before running out and upstairs to his room. He slammed the door.

“Oh, he’s going to be an ass,” Regina muttered.

“You mean he hasn’t been being an ass?” Emma asked. Regina sighed.

“Nope he just escaped out of the window,” Regina said. She walked to the front door with little Queen and opened it. Visibility was zero, but she could just make out a blurry little figure now crawling around the house. Emma gave her Viveka and stomped out into the snow, she dragged her son back in who was shaking so hard as Regina got him wrapped in a blanket on the couch and two hot water bottles before she stroked the fire.

“Emma go make some tea,” Regina ordered as she rubbed his feet. The girls pouted and cried next to her.

“Calma chiquitas, I’m right here,” Regina told them as she rubbed Henry’s feet. She turned back to him. “I hope you learned your lesson going out in a blizzard.” He nodded as he still shook. “And no shoes on!” If he wasn’t already so blue, she was sure he’d go red with embarrassment. Emma brought him some tea before she took over with the girls, but Rhiannon just screamed harder.

“It’s like that today?” Emma asked.

“Little Queen shush mommy has to take care of Henwry,” Little Henry told her. “Here play cars.” He gave her the small car and she grew so she could move the car back and forth while she lay on her stomach.

“This girl,” Emma muttered. Viveka’s yellow magic surrounded her and she pouted until Emma put her with her sister.

“So impatient,” Emma muttered.

“They’re fine, why don’t you go get the groceries from Claudio, and I can make Pozole that will warm him up best.”

“I can do that,” Emma said happy to be helpful. She turned to Henry. “You behave and don’t do anything stupid; you don’t deserve the care Regina gives you with your attitude.” Emma disappeared without another word.

“Oh Mami, Neal is stuck,” Henry said. Regina went into the kitchen and freed Neal before she conjured up thick socks for the older Henry and put them on his feet. She got a third water bottle to go near them.

“Better?” He nodded, and she could already see his shaking had gotten a lot better. “Good drink your tea.”

“But Mom what if the darkness made Emma poison it?” Henry asked. Regina took the tea and drank some. “It’s safe, and Emma wouldn’t hurt our family.”

“It’s not Emma anymore,” Henry pointed out. Regina sat down so they were at eye level.

“I know that the darkness can take over all that you are, but with Emma it’s different. She is so strong and made from the purest true love that she could control it. Your Ma was so strong, and with our true love magic Emma and I, we balance it, as much as the phantom that is Rumple tries to corrupt her, it cannot. Not while we’re a team.”

“But she said she corrupted one of the girls,” Henry pointed out.

“When she saved Viveka and me, she didn’t know she was pregnant with Rhiannon. We tried to save her, and Rhiannon transferred herself to me, we nearly died. But in the end, the darkness still clung to her and solidified once we had finally given her a name. But I believe that because Rhiannon is made from true love and most of it is tethered in Emma, she is not affected in the same way.”

“How can you be sure?” Henry asked.

“I suppose I can’t be one hundred percent, but just trust that I know magic and I know my child. Everything is different now.”

“Can I please talk to Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow, they’re the only ones that didn’t change. And well Granny.” Regina nodded.

“I suppose, but I need you to trust your heart instead, Blue used fairy dust to make them turn against us. Haven’t you been wondering why Neal is here if he’s Emma’s brother?”

“I did find it very strange that they would let him stay here if it were true.”

“Neal’s barely seen them since he was a young infant, well first when Emma was pretending to be evil, she kidnapped him. I will admit that, she left him here, so he was taken care of, and then when I finally convinced her to take him back, instead of taking Neal they attacked with no regard for either of them. They haven’t asked after him until suddenly they brought back Little Henry who had been kidnapped by Blue and left you at the convent.”

“But why?” Henry asked.

“You’re the truest believer, did you read your storybook?”

“Not all of it, I got stuck at the part where I meet my dad, but now I don’t understand why Emma lied, she said he was a firefighter and now he’s somewhere in town?”

“Oh,” Regina said.

“Oh, what do you mean oh, did you not know?” Henry asked.

“No, I knew, I found out when you found out, it’s just your dad he’s…” Henry frowned.

“Oh, right you keep saying it’s so much later than I think…he’s dead right?” Regina frowned and nodded. Henry gave her back the cup and curled up more on the couch. He cried for a bit.

“Don’t cry Henwry we gots Mami and Mama, we don’t needs dad,” Henry told him. “We no know him.” Regina frowned.

“Henry, you remember your dad?” Regina asked. Little Henry nodded.

“Yeah he hurt Mama,” Little Henry said.

“What else do you remember?” Regina asked curiously. “About yourself.”

“Um…dats I wrotes a lot before,” Henry shrugged before he bounced back over to his sisters.

“Why don’t I remember?” Henry asked.

“Because that’s what she wanted, she wanted you to hate me again,” Regina said.

“Mom I wanna remember my dad,” Henry cried. He cried until Emma came back and then he glared at her and ran upstairs.

“What just happened?” Emma asked.

“He uh read the Storybooke until he got to Neal, and he’s been processing the fact you lied, and Neal was alive. But then he realized he must be dead now.” Emma cringed.

“I never wanted that for the kid,” Emma muttered. “I thought it would be bad enough explaining it to Little Henry later on.”

“Apparently we don’t need to explain anything to little Henry. He remembers Neal,” Regina said as they went into the kitchen. Emma’s mouth fell open as she took a seat on the island and watched Regina get started on cooking after washing her hands.

“What?” Emma asked. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m not sure, I was pretty sure he didn’t remember anything, but again I don’t know what Blue has done. It’s possible she unlocked his memories somehow, but only in Little Henry. It might not have been intentional. I still need to consult all my books.”

“Of course, can I help you?” Emma asked.

“Not here, it’s fine if you care for the girls’ needs, and the boys Regina said as Neal started crying. He came in and pointed at his diaper, so Emma took him to get changed while Regina worked.

“I tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t interested, he told me to get out,” Emma frowned as Regina chopped onions underwater to avoid tears.

“I’m sorry, I think he just needs time to process it, he also needed time back then to process after New York.” Emma nodded.

“Can I have Kush tonight?” Emma asked. Regina chuckled and nodded.

“Sure, after they’re in bed, I’ll get you some,” Regina said. “Tomorrow I agreed he could speak with your parents though.”

“What no, why would you agree?” Emma asked.

“Because he needs it, I’ll make sure Granny doesn’t leave them alone,” Regina said moving the cut onions into a bowl that had a lid and spun to remove excess water from vegetables, usually lettuce. “Give that a spin until the water is off.” Emma saluted her and did so while she cleaned and cut up the radishes and placed them next to some limes.

“What’s this for?” Emma asked indicating the toppings.

“You add these to the top of Pozole to make it taste even better,” Regina said. “We also have oregano, chile piquin which is chili powder, and cabbage sometimes it’s lettuce, but I prefer cabbage.”

“Oh, is this going to be really hot?” Emma asked pouting.

“No, honey of course I made it milder for your sake.” Emma gave a sigh of relief to hear her say it.

“Oh and no shrimp?” Emma asked.

“No, no shrimp,” Regina replied. “It’s pork, but you can make with chicken too. Now come, let’s sit on the couch and cuddle while that cooks and the kids play.” Emma nodded. It was just nice to sit and enjoy their little family. Big Henry eventually came back down with his Storybook. He didn’t say anything, but he did keep reading.

“I don’t understand,” big Henry said when they were setting the table.

“Understand what?” Regina asked securing Neal in his highchair.

“How heroes can name their precious baby after a bad person, you saved the town a lot, and still, we treat you badly. But I’m supposed to believe that one good deed makes Neal worthy of all the praise?”

“That’s why I had to stop fighting kid, I didn’t believe that anymore. And I was able to love your mom.” He frowned at her.

“No, you’re no better!” Henry yelled. “You left us, you were just as bad as him, Mom was lucky to have me. I don’t trust a lot right now, but I trust myself and I trust the Storybook, it hasn’t lied to me yet. I can’t believe you got her pregnant and just left.” Emma’s eyes burned with tears and shame.

“I know kid, I know, I’m so ashamed,” Emma told him.

“Good,” Henry said.

“It’s okay now Henry we chose to forgive Emma, and she’s worked very hard to make it up to us as a family.”

“Not to Charlotte,” Henry snapped shaking his head. “It’s not right.”

“Charlotte became Rhiannon, and I assure you she reminds me every day,” Emma told him. “There’s a reason she doesn’t like me like your mom.”

“But you said she came from you at first,” Henry frowned.

“Yes, because remember how Charlotte died?” Regina asked. He nodded. “Well her soul clung to us magically, and she had to wait for an opportunity. Except when the opportunity came when she could jump to me, Viveka was there. So, she ended up growing in Emma, not that she was very happy about this at all. She tortured your mother until she managed it to the detriment of us all to get to me, so I gave birth to her.”

“And I got the aftermath,” Emma grimaced.

“This is all so confusing,” Henry grunted. They nodded.

“Let’s not worry about past wrongs right now, let’s focus on where we are now, and now this family is in a good place.”

“Yeah, well sort of, when we are done with this war and Hook,” Emma grunted.

“We’ll talk more about Hook later, now who is ready for Pozole?” Regina asked.

“ME!” both Henrys cried in the end. She had made his favorite which was the green Pozole. She added some tostadas to the table which were hard tortilla shells and deep-fried pork skins she’d found hiding in their food box. She topped the food of the younger children with everything just like her own and the older Henry’s. Although she and Henry both dumped more chili powder on it.

“Why didn’t you make it hotter?” Henry asked when she’d brought out fresh chili peppers that they smashed into their Pozole.

“Your mother can’t handle the heat,” Regina said. “So, I have to make everything milder for her.” Henry let out a whine.

“What’s the point of eating good food if it’s not hot?” Henry asked as he glared at Emma.

“I’m sorry, my tongue just burns okay,” Emma huffed. “And it’s already so hot, I don’t even understand how you can add more.” Regina and Henry snorted.

“This hasn’t even begun to be hot,” Regina told her feeding a little bit to Rhiannon. She cried and then reached for more.

“Says the woman burning the mouth of the five-month-old,” Emma pointed out.

“She’s fine,” Regina said. “There are babies raised on hotter food, believe me, plus Henry is perfectly fine.” Indeed Little Henry already had an empty bowl and big Henry was not far behind. She served them more.

“I’m going to see King after this, you think you can handle the kids alone?” Regina asked. Emma nodded.

“I don’t think Little Queen will give me too much trouble no,” Emma replied. Regina nodded. “And you don’t have to ask me to watch them, I am their mother too. I will do it because it is my job.”

“Hmm…not really so much a will you kind of question, but if you feel like mostly Rhiannon will cooperate, in which case I would rather just take her with.” Emma nodded her understanding.

“I don’t want to stay with her,” Henry said glaring at Emma. Emma looked down.

“It’s okay, Regina, you should take him with you, let him see a different side.” Regina frowned but nodded.

“They should go down for another nap now, so it shouldn’t be too much fuss,” Regina murmured as she started to clean.

“No, no, I’ll get the girls down and clear the table, you two go.” Regina gave her a kiss and handed her Rhiannon who was already nodding off after nursing. She kissed Henry, Neal, and Viveka before she took big Henry’s hand. He wasn’t too excited to use magic, but he didn’t want to admit it was a little cool to disappear from place to place.

“My Queen, what are you doing here?” Cox asked in shock. “You should be resting, after all, you’ve been through!”

“I’ve rested enough,” Regina replied. “Where’s King, I need to check on her.”

“In her room, I’ll get her up and out here for you to examine her.”

“No, if she’ll allow it, I’ll examine her in her room, so she doesn’t have to overexert herself,” Regina said. Cox nodded and hurried off as others started cleaning up the space. They’d all moved into one place to try and save space for other citizens.

“Please my Queen, sit,” They said dusting off an already clean spot.

“This place is immaculate Tate stop fake dusting.” Tate looked shocked.

“Why I would never your majesty, only the cleanest spot for my Queen, and her prince,” He said before carrying himself off dramatically to the kitchen. Henry sat nearby with a small frown on his lips.

“Who are they?” Henry asked. “I’ve never seen them here before.”

“They came back with us, they are the blackguard, they were left behind, I thought when the curse broke, we would go back we did not. And then they were turned into flying monkeys, turns out, I have a sister the Wicked Witch of the West, we’ll go over her story later. Anyway, they came back with us when we went after Emma.” Henry nodded. “This isn’t all of them though, seventy-five percent are women, but we have men too.”

“My Queen,” Tate said returning with two mugs of tea. “Does the Prince have the same tea tastes as his mother.”

“Not really, I like fruity,” Henry answered. Regina cleared her throat. “Sorry I mean I like fruity please.” Tate nodded and took his mug back; he soon came back with fruity tea to Henry’s delight. Despite it, all King came struggling out with two people on either side of her.

“King!” Regina scolded as she stood up. “You should have stayed in bed.”

“And let you see my mess, not a chance my Queen,” King grinned.

“And I’d bet good coin that your room is spotless,” Regina quipped as King tried to bow and they forced her not too. She tried to skirt around them a curtsey, but she was off balance.

“You see what we’re dealing with my Queen,” Cox sighed once they had gotten King on the couch.

“Has she not been resting properly?” Regina asked frowning.

“Not at all, we constantly getting her back to bed.” Regina crossed her arms and glared at King who tried to glare at Cox.

“Don’t glare at Cox, they were right to tell me how you’ve been acting, I see you’ll need to be under my direct supervision.”

“Yes, I will protect you…” King said.

“You’ll rest,” Regina ordered as she checked the wound, as Harper brought over the first aid kit. Regina looked at King’s arm which looked quite bad, but at least wasn’t poisoning her.

“What happened?” Henry asked peeking around his mother as she carefully removed dead tissue from the wound.

“Hook happened my Prince,” King grunted. “How did my Queen break the enchantment on my Prince?”

“I didn’t,” Regina answered. “She split him from Henry, now there are two of them, but she only brought him back to ten years old when he was suspicious of me. If he had been twelve, she couldn’t have lied to him.”

“I’ll kill her when I’m well,” King declared, and the others agreed.

“You leave the magical beings to me,” Regina told them as they all pouted.

“Oh, but my Queen,” They whined.

“No, what are you all a bunch of children?” Regina asked even though there were murmurs of perhaps.

“Only until you allow us to break out the Tequila my Queen,” someone laughed, and Henry couldn’t help but giggle with the others.

“They’re funny, and they aren’t scared of you. Everyone is always so scared of you,” Henry said.

“This is what it looks like when your Kingdom…”

“Queendom,” Cox corrected. Regina rolled her eyes.

“Fine, Queendom, sees you as inherently good, there is no reason to be afraid,” Regina replied.

“Even though you are the Evil Queen?” Henry asked. Regina frowned.

“Only to her enemies,” King told him. “Your mother fell victim to the White Kingdom, but we of the Black Kingdom have only known kindness and stability with my Queen and she was a sweet Princess. Her dark curse saved a lot of people from the plague my Prince, without her a lot of us would have died. She even managed to save my own daughter for a time, but then she was too weak to fight the flu after the plague.” Everyone frowned and those nearby put a comforting hand on King.

“Oh, I’m sorry she made it so far and got sick again,” Henry frowned.

“Aaliyah was a strong girl,” Regina replied.

“Aaliyah’s dead?” Henry asked. He started crying and Regina frowned at herself, she hadn’t realized at that moment that this Henry both remembered Aaliyah and would of course mourn her death.

“Oh Honey, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think,” Regina said.

“But I was going to ask to go play checkers,” He said. Regina finished removing the dead tissue from King’s arm.

“I know, but Aaliyah isn’t suffering anymore and that is the best part, right?” He nodded.

“Did she at least get to see you?” Henry asked King. King looked sad but happy to know that Aaliyah had someone else who missed her.

“Every day, that was the thing about the curse, it made her think your mom was me so she wouldn’t forget me, and think I was there with her all the time.”

“But what about when I was there?” Henry asked confused as he looked at Regina.

“When you came we were her Aunt and cousin to her,” Regina replied as she carefully cleaned the wound. She tried to heal it with magic, but it was resistant to it. Instead, she let Harper hand her a kush herbal mixture that she packed into the wound and began to wrap King’s arm.

“I’m glad she wasn’t alone here then, that was a nice thing you did in the curse.” Regina smiled at him and nodded.

“You’ll find my Prince that the dark curse isn’t as dark as the White Kingdom might have you believe. There were some things that weren’t good, but you’ll also find little things like what my Queen did for me,” King told him.

“My Queen!” Collins cried coming out of the kitchen. Everyone turned towards him. “Please, please save my Pozole, I’ve messed up.” Regina chuckled along with the rest and it was a group effort to save the large pot of red Pozole.

“Whoa you’re going to definitely make it through winter on this and part of spring,” Henry cried looking at the large pots.

“Two weeks tops, I give it,” Collins told him as they started loading soup bowls and the few magic users, they were usually small-time started delivering them to various soldiers on guard duty.

“Who is out in this weather?” Regina asked them upset.

“Uh….” They said

“I want them home now, they aren’t getting anywhere in this Blizzard and even so you’re nearby, you can all get out of the homes quickly and into formation, yes?”

“Yes, my Queen,” They replied.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Regina asked. “Vale!” she clapped her hands and they hurried to get the others in except for the person on watch at the diner since they were perfectly comfortable and safe. Henry didn’t think it was possible, but it was full house sitting down wherever they could to a warm meal of Pozole.

“My Queen?” They asked offering her a bowl.

“No thank you, I made green pozole and we ate at home.” Still, they insisted until she was eating, and Henry sighed in happiness.

“Oh, it’s spicy not at all for Emma’s taste buds.” Henry sighed. Regina snorted into her Pozole.

“We’re so sorry my Prince,” They said. After the meal and Regina had given King something to help her sleep and heal, they left to go visit Maleficent. Henry was a little scared, but relaxed when he saw she was in human form reading with her daughter. He learned a little about their story and her resurrection.

“Grandma and Grandpa really did that?” Henry asked as Regina was cooking in Maleficent’s kitchen making a fish stew she was fond of.

“Yes, but I’m just so grateful thanks to your moms that we were able to reunite and become a family,” Maleficent said. “I want you to consider me your Aunt just like the girls and little Henry. I’ll always be here for you.” Regina came in and sat down.

“It’ll be ready for you by dinner, I have it on low heat, so turn it off in about an hour,” Regina instructed. Maleficent nodded.

“Thanks again for cooking, Lily isn’t into whatever I burn on the forest floor all the time.”

“Thank you, Aunty!” Lily exclaimed. “Can I go play with Henry?”

“Sure, but use your inside voice, I think the babies are asleep, okay?”

“Okay!” she exclaimed before disappearing on her own to Henry’s shock. Emma sent a message to let them know that she had safely land on top of her head quite literally. They chuckled a bit.

“What’s the update?” Maleficent asked.

“Not much, I sent the guards in and not out in this weather, one guard on watch though by Granny’s and I think one more by Claudio’s house actually. They’re inside though because someone built a little tower as a reading room,” Regina shrugged. “Claudio sent aid out to the rest of the town well as much as he could without sacrificing us from his text. I’m hoping the weather calms so we can take back the town at least before Hook arrives.” Maleficent nodded.

“Solid plan, I’m ready when you are, I could set fire to a few buildings and provide light and warmth so we can attack earlier.” Regina raised an eyebrow and Maleficent grinned. “Oh, Reg you’re absolutely no fun.”

“Perhaps, but we don’t potentially kill innocent people anymore, remember?”

“Whose innocent in the town hall these days, two birds with one stone,” Maleficent shrugged.

“Everyone except for Blue, every time I’ve come up against the fairies without Blue they have chosen to back down. They don’t want to fight me. If I thought I could trick Blue, I’d ask Tink to go and undermine her control.” Maleficent shook her head.

“Definitely too dangerous for Tink, and we don’t want that.”

“I don’t understand why Blue doesn’t like Tink,” Henry said. He knew about Neverland and therefore Tinkerbell, and Hook.

“Because she helped me once when no one else would. She almost changed my destiny and stopped me from becoming the Evil Queen.”

“Whoa, but why didn’t it work?” Henry asked.

“Well she thought the fairy dust led her to Robin Hood, who would be my true love, but I never walked into the tavern to meet him. And later to avoid Pan’s curse I met him, but we didn’t click it wasn’t right, I knew that. It turns out that Snow was actually in the tavern that night.” Henry cringed so hard at her words, and she couldn’t blame him. “No, no it wasn’t like that.” Henry put a hand on his heart as he panicked a little.

“What, but the fairy dust and it’s not wrong and…and…oh my God…” Maleficent outright laughed.

“Yeah that’s the general reaction to that part of the story,” Maleficent commented.

“Believe me I get your panic you think I didn’t panic too; I threw up three times until I sorted it out with Tink, the truth.” Henry looked at her. “Later on, my Daddy convinced me to use cupid’s arrow to find Robin Hood. Instead, it took me to Snow and David’s wedding sort of where the storybook starts talking about the dark curse.” Henry nodded.

“You burst into their wedding to threaten them,” Henry said. Regina shook her head.

“That was just a front, I was looking for the arrow, I thought it would land on Robin in the crowd, but actually it was just flying aimlessly overhead. I had to put on a show even if I still planned on casting the curse, I hadn’t even wanted to go to their wedding. Anyway, I left with the arrow and I was just as confused and angry as ever.”

“Wait so how do you know it’s not Grandma?” Henry asked.

“The arrow didn’t strike her, and it was aimless, because Emma didn’t exist yet, and back then the fairy dust did the best it could, by leading me to Snow. If I had walked into that tavern back, then and tried to meet Robin and Snow had seen again. I can’t fathom what my future would have looked like, she would have told her father.”

“I’m sorry I reacted badly about you and Emma before, but that was before I knew how I would feel about you and Grandma,” Henry said. Maleficent and Regina chuckled.

“Yeah, you aren’t alone in that sentiment,” Maleficent told him. “Are things a little clearer for you?” Henry shook his head.

“I’m angry all the time, and I can’t sort out who I should be angrier with mom for the curse, or Emma for what she did to us later, or Blue but she’s supposed to be the example of good. How do I know who is lying and who isn’t? Is what’s new in my Storybook all a lie now, but it sounds like me, I don’t know I know it’s me. Can I trust myself?”

“Give it time, and let your heart do the sorting,” Regina said. Henry nodded as Regina’s phone went off. She answered it. “Hey Robin, yeah sure, I’ll be there in a second.”

“What’s Robin want?” Maleficent asked.

“Bored, all the Merry men are separated, they’re all stocked up, but wanted to know if he and Roland could come over. I’m sure he’ll convince me about Zelena and Zuri too.”

“Oh yes, we can get a workout in and have a game night. I bet he’s got beer; I’ll take the fish stew to your house. What are blizzards for if not gathering.”

“Quiet time, reading, sleeping,” Regina added but didn’t stop Maleficent from turning off the stove and picking up the medium size pot.

“See you at home,” Maleficent said disappearing. Regina snorted.

“Do you want to come with me, or shall I send you home?” Regina asked Henry.

“I’ll come with you,” Henry said. She took his hand and they disappeared and reappeared inside Robin’s cabin.

“Regina!” Roland cried running over. He was naked and covered in chocolate. Robin looked like he needed a beer.

“Come on Roland, let’s get you dressed, and we’ll go play with little Henry.” She lifted him easily like a sack of potatoes making him giggle hard.

“Yay!” He cheered as they went for his room.

“Uh hi, I’m Henry,” Henry said nervously.

“Hi Henry, I’m Robin please excuse the mess, Roland is wild, I gave him chocolate like an idiot.” Robin moved two bags, a keg, and his food box to one spot. They didn’t talk much.

“You’re a thief,” Henry said.

“I was a thief, I work for the police department now,” Robin said. “My partner is even Nottingham if you can believe it.”

“Not really, you two are bitter enemies.”

“Nottingham has a good life here, he’s changed a bit, and he’s afraid of your mom,” Robin said the last part as if it were a secret and Henry had to laugh.

“Is there anyone not afraid of mom?” Henry asked.

“The literal entirety of the Black Kingdom, I swear they get all teary-eyed when you mention her fireballs because she’s so awesome.” Regina came back with a cleaned and dressed Roland. “Did I mention she’s like super mom.”

“I am not,” Regina said.

“Well to me you are, now let’s pick up Zuri and Zelena….PLEASE.” He gave her his best doe eyes and Roland joined in as Regina rolled her eyes.

“She’s got her own magic, you invite her over,” Regina told him.

“Oh good, I already did, and she agreed if you were really okay with it,” Robin said. Regina flicked him.

“Did you at least text Emma?” Regina asked. Robin looked guilty as she sighed. “Everyone grab hold.” They touched her arm and she made sure to grab the stuff before they disappeared into the foyer, where Emma was clad in all black and glaring at Zelena.

“What are you doing here?” Emma growled.

“I was invited by my sister, what are you doing here?” Zelena asked on purpose as if Emma didn’t deserve to be there. Regina hurried forward and stepped in between them after putting Roland down. She put a gentle hand on Emma’s chest.

“It’s okay, I want her here,” Regina said. Emma untensed a little but she was still clad in black. “Come help me take the food in the kitchen now.” It took a lot, but Emma forced herself to lift Robin’s food box and go towards the kitchen where Maleficent was stirring her fish stew.

“Go make yourself at home in the living room please Zelena, you are still welcome, she’s just on edge as always.” Zelena nodded and went to the living room after handing Zuri to an eager Robin.

“All right, I’m sorry,” Zelena said.

“It’s Robin’s fault you don’t have to be sorry, he didn’t tell anyone you were coming until after the fact.”

“Robin really,” she snapped at him as she headed into the living room after him. Regina went into the kitchen where Emma was letting off dark smoke and pacing heavily.

“I don’t like this, why is she here?” Emma asked.

“Because we are a family and we are trying to do better,” Regina reminded her.

“She shouldn’t be family after what she did,” Emma grumbled.

“I think we’ve all done quite a few things we regret in this family; didn’t we say that Storybrooke is about second chances?”

“No, I’m sure we did not,” Emma snapped. “She shouldn’t be here.”

“Then I shouldn’t be here, or Maleficent or even you,” Regina pointed out with a frown. Emma froze finally to big Henry’s surprise; he had never seen Emma like this. Emma started sniffling and Regina was able to wrap her in a hug and rub her back.

“I just don’t want her to harm our family,” Emma cried.

“And she won’t, she won’t hurt our girls just like we won’t hurt Zuri,” Regina reminded her. “Now Robin’s going to come begging anyway, will you feel better if I let you have Kush.”

“Yeah, you promised, and you didn’t give it to me yet,” Emma now pouted.

“Watching the Dark Savior pout is endless entertainment,” Maleficent chuckled.

“Oh, and someone sent what looks like Pozole, but it’s red, it burned my mouth worse than yours, I just wanted to taste.”

“It was the guards, and it wasn’t hot at all Emma, why is your tongue so sensitive.” Henry had to giggle.

“It was red Pozole Emma,” Henry informed her.

“Sorry you had to see me all dark like this kid,” Emma said as her clothes were changing back to normal.

“It’s okay, you were just pacing not more,” Regina reminded. Once Emma looked like her normal self again, she allowed Regina to release her.

“Well the babies are still sleeping at least, but I’m sure little Queen will…” Emma was cut off by a cry from the baby monitor and soon a second one joined her. “Speak of the devil.”

“Why don’t you go take a moment to calm them and bring them down then.” Emma nodded and disappeared after taking a breath.

“Are you sure she won’t hurt them?” Henry asked furrowing his brow.

“I trust her completely with them,” Regina told him. “Now let me introduce you to Zelena and Zuri.” They left out of the kitchen to go introduce Henry to his family.

**Author's Note:**

> Please Leave a Review.


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